Thank you all. Just to clarify a few things. I'm not necessarily needing dd to be dating and would be quite good if that didn't happen for a bit. What has mostly brought this to mind is that dd, herself, seems to be developing an interest in having a boyfriend and that she's had a few older guys (16-17) who are taking notice of her.
I majored in public health in grad school and part of what scares me about the age difference is a project I did on teen pregnancy. Major risk factors for teen pregnancy included lack of higher educational or career goals (NO problem at all here b/c dd13 is unusually directed in that regard) and girls dating boys older than themselves. If I recall correctly, something like half of teens who had babies had fathers of the babies who were in their 20s. Granted, I'm not looking at 20 y/os being interested in dd, but by the time she is 15 or 16, these same 16 or 17 y/o boys who are interested now will be 20.
We are pretty open and close and I know that she is pretty comfortable talking with me. I'd just much rather she find a peer group (guys and girls) who are closer in age and intellect so she didn't seem so drawn to older people for friends and boyfriend possibilities. I guess that I care less if her female friends are five years older, though, b/c there is less risk there unless the girls are drinking or something. Dd doesn't seem to be drawn to hanging out with people who are getting into trouble, though.
Last edited by Cricket2; 03/19/12 09:06 AM. Reason: majored in PH in Grad school not Grade school - doh!
