My oldest daughter is now 15 and is a sophomore at a new high school here, which has the science academy. She decided not to apply for the academy but hangs out with all the kids there, plus kids on the tennis team. There seems to be a ton of social activities always going on, and with her social groups there is always a team of kids getting together to go to a party, the movies, football games, etc. My point is that the whole group does things together, boys and girls, and does not seem to get too caught up in one-on-one relationships. I see this as very helpful for my daughter. It has really helped her to develop, mature and learn about boys. I hope D13 can find the same types friends next year when she is a freshman.
What I am suggesting is that you suggest your son take some emphasis off dating per se and put more focus on group activities. That way he will get more experience with girls, learn from others how to deal with them, and maybe make a few close friends who are girls but not “girlfriends.” I think this system my D15 has is ideal. (BTW, she is said the other day that some of her friend who she thought had good families seem to be even more screwed up than ours! …. Lots of advantages to this group dynamic.)
