The Dating Game

My son is slowly but surely entering the dating world. He is actually making arrangements to meet a girl at the movies this weekend--I think his friend is also meeting a date there, so I guess it will be a double date. They are nearly 15 and not driving yet, so this means parents will be dropping off and picking up. I don't know if things are all set yet--I am prepared to be asked for a ride, though. At 15, I was going on car dates with boys who could drive--I was one of the youngest students in my class, so I was doing things at 15 that my peers were doing at 16. Plus, I almost always liked boys a year or two older than me--so I was dating 16 and 17 year olds when I was 15. I guess there is a chance that my son would want to ride places with friends who are a year or two older and driving--I know that this is a very important rite of passage, but it still is very hard to feel safe about letting my son ride with his friends. I cannot believe that we are at this stage now--learning to drive, riding with friends who drive, going on dates--scary stuff, you know? My son is fairly shy, but I think he is finally getting confident enough to make those tough calls to ask girls out--this is the beginning of "The Dating Game" for him. I know girls sometimes ask guys out, but, for the most part, a guy still has to really put himself on the line when he asks a girl out. This cartoon shows that anxiety quite well! :) I don't know how the girl's parents feel about everything, but I am one nervous mom when it comes to this stuff. Maybe it is because I have both a son and daughter--I love having the opportunity to see things from both sides in these matters. So here's to the beginning of a very scary but also exciting time--the dating life of teenagers. HELP! :}