Dating and Courtship

Staying Pure in Engagement
Someone recently asked, Now that we're engaged, it's increasingly hard to stay pure. I mean, we'll be married soon, right? I know it's wrong, but it doesn't seem as big a deal now that it's just a matter of weeks or months. Can you help us think about this the right way? We've been there. The…
Our Family Gets Bigger This Month!
  We're over-the-top delighted to announce that our family will be growing this month when our son Matthew exchanges vows with his college sweetheart Camille! Camille is a strong believer and a talented, sweet-spirited young woman from Nicholasville, Kentucky. She's a graduate of Berea College where she and Matthew met. They'll be moving to Chapel…
She Said, “I Won’t Let my Daughter Marry a Guy Who Has Ever Seen Porn!”
Be sure you ask the right questions – and set the right expectations Our friend was adamant. “I would never allow my daughter to marry a guy who has looked at porn.” She’s right to be concerned. It’s a sin and affront to God to look at pornography. It causes physical changes in the user’s…
Q&A: “What Time Is Curfew at Your House?”
Several readers and audience members have asked us something like this: What time is curfew at your house? When do you require your kids to be home? Is it different for teens and twenties? It's not an uncommon question but our answer may be unexpected--because we don't have a formal curfew at our house.  …
When You’re Worried Your Son is Going to Go Too Far
A mom asked, We did the hard press for courtship/dating with a purpose. And it worked - sorta. My son is head over heels for his girlfriend. Sex is coming. It just is. They still say they want to wait. They aren't rebelling by going to her apartment, but he's in a battle between his hormones/desires and…
Finding a Mate: On the Other Hand
A while back, we were in a group of homeschoolers having a spirited discussion over our blog post, It's Just Coffee. Suddenly, Melanie noticed that the woman arguing most strenuously against it was wearing a ring on her left hand. Melanie thought, Oh, maybe she found a mate through a very regulated model of courtship. Maybe that's…
Teen Romance: Reality Check! (2)
When a 5-year-old announces he wants to marry the little girl next door, you might say (sweetly), “Well, maybe one day, Sport, but you've got to grow up and get a job first.” Ditto for your pre-teen. But when Sport is 17 and he can smell legal adulthood just a few calendar pages away, a…
Teen Romance: This Could Get Serious (1)
Recently we wrote about how to effectively parent a pre-teen son with a crush. It's not a real, mature sort of Christian love, but a 11- or 12-year-old doesn't realize that … it's feels real to him! So we recommend you take it seriously enough to talk about relationships, not just laugh him off. An…
Q&A: My 16-Year-Old Wants to Be in a Relationship! What Do I Do?
Q. My wife wants to invite a nineteen year old young man over for dinner. He works with my sixteen year old daughter and brought her flowers last week. We've briefly talked about his interest. She came to Christ last year and she's a good girl, but I'm just not comfortable with this - I…