My Teenage Son Loves His Girlfriend—And So Do I

Our Keepsake Journal is Here! 🎉

They started dating as freshmen in high school. My son was 14.

That’s young.

Sixteen was the original law we had for when our kids could start dating. Etched on the same parental 10 commandment tablets as “Our baby will not use a pacifier” (ha), “our children will not get a cell phone before [enter any age here]” (double ha), and “our children would never do that” (puh-leez, they absolutely will).

When our son began pressing us to start dating when he was 14, we relented. They were good kids, they respected our rules, and they were so sweet to each other.

There were strict guidelines though:

1. No bedrooms.
2. No being alone in the house.
3. Only group dates.

RELATED: Follow Your Heart But Take Your Brain With You: 20 Rules For Healthy Teen Dating

Unlike typical high school relationships, theirs was not a fickle and fleeting infatuation. They were best friends. Introverts who could confide in each other, be quiet together, and whose interests were compatible.

They had a rare mutual combination of trust, respect, and support.

Throughout the next three years of high school, they became inseparable.

They still are today.

There is no drama between them, no loud arguments, and no festering jealousy. Not your typical high school relationship for sure.

RELATED: It’s Hard To Watch Our Teens Start Dating—And Even Harder To See Their Hearts Break

When the pandemic hit, they didn’t see each other for two months. My son raised enough money from family and friends to buy her a Nintendo Switch Lite so she would have something fun to do on her family’s rural farm place. She mailed him care packages of treats. She also, over the years, has done numerous drawings of the two of them which adorn his locker at school and his desk at home.

I am grateful for my teenage son’s girlfriend.

She is so kind, thoughtful, generous, sweet, and has made my son so happy throughout his entire high school career. She has been there for all the good and bad. Unwavering. Steadfast.

RELATED: The Truth About Marrying Your High School Sweetheart

They are blessed to have each other. She has treated my son the way I always prayed he would be treated.

What more could a mom ask for?

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now

So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Her View Shop

Melissa Neeb

I'm a Minnesota native and lover of nature, WW2 memoirs, rescue dogs, photography, and thrifting. My husband and two teenagers are the great loves of my life. I am passionate about advocating for addiction recovery, writing about parenting, life, faith, and everything in between.

I Obsessed over Her Heartbeat Because She’s My Rainbow Baby

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Mother and teen daughter with ice cream cones, color photo

I delivered a stillborn sleeping baby boy five years before my rainbow baby. I carried this sweet baby boy for seven whole months with no indication that he wouldn’t live. Listening to his heartbeat at each prenatal visit until one day there was no heartbeat to hear. It crushed me. ”I’m sorry but your baby is dead,” are words I’ll never be able to unhear. And because of these words, I had no words. For what felt like weeks, I spoke only in tears as they streamed down my cheeks. But I know it couldn’t have been that long. Because...

Keep Reading

Here on the Island of Autism Parenting

In: Motherhood

Son on dad's shoulders looking at sunset over water

Hey, you. Yes, you there: mom to a kid on the spectrum. Well, you and I know they’re so much more than that. But sometimes those few words seem so all-consuming. So defining. So defeating. I see you when you’re done. That was me earlier today. I had to send a picture of a broken windshield to my husband. I prefaced the picture with the text, “You’re going to be so mad.” And you know what? He saw the picture, read my text, and replied, “I love you. The windshield can be fixed. Don’t worry. Just come home.” I think,...

Keep Reading

Round 2 in the Passenger Seat is Even Harder

In: Motherhood, Teen

Here I am, once again, in the passenger seat. The driver’s side mirrors are adjusted a little higher. The seat is moved back to fit his growing teenage limbs. The rearview mirror is no longer tilted to see what’s going on in the backseat. Yellow stickers screaming “Student Driver,” are plastered to the sides of the car. The smile on his face is noticeable. The fear in mine is hard to hide. These are big moments for both of us. For him, it’s the beginning of freedom. Exiting the sidestreets of youth and accelerating full speed into the open road...

Keep Reading

We’re Walking the Road of Twin Loss Together

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Mother and son walk along beach holding hands

He climbed into our bed last week, holding the teddy bear that came home in his twin brother’s hospital grief box almost 10 years earlier. “Mom, I really miss my brother. And do you see that picture of me over there with you, me and his picture in your belly? It makes me really, really sad when I look at it.” A week later, he was having a bad day and said, “I wish I could trade places with my brother.” No, he’s not disturbed or mentally ill. He’s a happy-go-lucky little boy who is grieving the brother who grew...

Keep Reading

Somewhere Between Wife and Mom, There Is a Woman

In: Living, Motherhood

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember there is a woman behind the mom. At home, you feel caught between two worlds. Mom world and wife world. Sometimes it’s hard to balance both. We don’t exactly feel sexy in our leggings and messy mom bun. We don’t feel sexy at the end of the day when we are mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from being a mom all day. The truth is we want to feel like ourselves again. We just aren’t sure where we fit in anymore. RELATED: I Fear I’ve Lost Myself To Motherhood We know the kids only stay...

Keep Reading

Until I See You in Heaven, I’ll Cherish Precious Memories of You

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Toddler girl with bald head, color photo

Your memory floats through my mind so often that I’m often seeing two moments at once. I see the one that happened in the past, and I see the one I now live each day. These two often compete in my mind for importance. I can see you in the play of all young children. Listening to their fun, I hear your laughter clearly though others around me do not. A smile might cross my face at the funny thing you said once upon a time that is just a memory now prompted by someone else’s young child. The world...

Keep Reading

Friendship Looks Different Now That Our Kids Are Older

In: Friendship, Living, Motherhood

Two women and their teen daughters, color photo

When my kids were young and still in diapers, my friends and I used to meet up at Chick-fil-A for play dates. Our main goal was to maintain our sanity while our kids played in the play area. We’d discuss life, marriage, challenges, sleep deprivation, mom guilt, and potty-training woes. We frequently scheduled outings to prevent ourselves from going insane while staying at home. We’d take a stroll around the mall together, pushing our bulky strollers and carrying diaper bags. Our first stop was always the coffee shop where we’d order a latte (extra espresso shot) and set it in...

Keep Reading

Moms Take a Hard Look in the Mirror When Our Girls Become Tweens

In: Motherhood, Teen, Tween

We all know about mean girls. They’re in the movies we go to see, the television shows we watch, and the books we read. These fictional divas are usually exaggerated versions of the real thing: troubled cheerleaders with a couple of sidekicks following in their faux-fabulous footsteps. The truth about mean girls is more complex. Sometimes, they aren’t kids you would expect to be mean at all: the quiet girls, sweet and innocent. Maybe she’s your kid. Maybe she’s mine. As our daughters approach their teen years, we can’t help but reflect on our own. The turmoil. The heartbreak. The...

Keep Reading

A Mother’s Love is the Best Medicine

In: Kids, Motherhood

Child lying on couch under blankets, color photo

When my kids are sick, I watch them sleep and see every age they have ever been at once. The sleepless nights with a fussy toddler, the too-hot cheeks of a baby against my own skin, the clean-up duty with my husband at 3 a.m., every restless moment floods my thoughts. I can almost feel the rocking—so much rocking—and hear myself singing the same lullaby until my voice became nothing but a whisper. I can still smell the pink antibiotics in a tiny syringe. Although my babies are now six and nine years old, the minute that fever spikes, they...

Keep Reading

Here’s to the Saturday Mornings

In: Living, Motherhood

Baby in bouncer next to mama with coffee cup, color photo

Here’s to the Saturday mornings—the part of the week that kind of marks the seasons of our lives. I’ve had so many types of Saturdays, each just a glimpse of what life holds at the time. There were Saturdays spent sleeping in and putting off chores after a long week of school. And some Saturdays waking up on the floor in a friend’s living room after talking and prank calling all night. I’ve spent many Saturday mornings walking through superstitious pre-game routines on the way to the gym, eating just enough breakfast to fuel me for the game, but not...

Keep Reading

Motherhood is Hard, But Loving You is the Easiest Thing I've Ever Done

Motherhood

Motherhood is Hard, But Loving You is the Easiest Thing I've Ever Done

Sometimes Good Teens Just Make Bad Decisions

Motherhood

My Teenage Son Loves His Girlfriend—And So Do I

Throughout the next three years of high school, they became inseparable.

I am grateful for my teenage son’s girlfriend.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Her View Shop

I Obsessed over Her Heartbeat Because She’s My Rainbow Baby

Here on the Island of Autism Parenting

Round 2 in the Passenger Seat is Even Harder

We’re Walking the Road of Twin Loss Together

Somewhere Between Wife and Mom, There Is a Woman

Until I See You in Heaven, I’ll Cherish Precious Memories of You

Friendship Looks Different Now That Our Kids Are Older

Moms Take a Hard Look in the Mirror When Our Girls Become Tweens

A Mother’s Love is the Best Medicine

Here’s to the Saturday Mornings

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like