By Charlaine Martin
Should Christian Parents
Chaperone their Teens Dates?
The Dating Dilemma:
T
he onset of teen dating
causes angst in most
Christian parents. One
father, an advanced
martial artist, decided he would
test his older daughter’s prospective dates. He competed in
martial arts tournaments, so he
decided to intimidate her young
admirers when they came up to
the door for her. One teen boy
showed up to take his daughter
out on their first date. The father
put his double-headed battle axe
up against a piece of furniture on
display for her potential suitor. At
first the boy was a bit stunned,
but suddenly a grin spread
across his face. Inquisitively, he
looked the piece of weaponry
over. “Awesome weapon! Where
did you get it?” he queried the
father. The dad soon learned
this young man, also a martial
artist, was awestruck at the
magnificent piece of weaponry.
The father’s attempt to intimidate her date fizzled. Do you
feel like this father who wanted
to protect his daughter? You
are in great company!
Teen dating has changed since
we were in school with so many
new issues that come with
technology. Current parenting
trends throw us a curve as we
awkwardly try to navigate our
teens’ dating landscape. Attitudes and behaviors of teens
concern us about their physical
safety and sexual purity. Moms
and dads face tough decisions
about how to handle this difficult, yet wonder-filled time.
It certainly can bring out the
fiercely protective side of us! We
find ourselves making choices
about how to best approach teen
dating with our sons and daughters. A resurgence of chaperoned dating is becoming popular
among Christians as a means
of parental and emotional support as kids seek out a potential
spouse. Is chaperoned dating for
your family? It depends on your
views, family dynamics, the age
and maturity level of your child,
and how you understand God’s
Word speaking to you about this
topic.
Our first place to go for advice
about life issues is the Bible
(IBLP, 2014). Some of these passages whether they are familiar
to you or not, are worth prayerful
consideration: