The Hormones Have Exploded in 6Th Grade

I don't know. Some places are worse than others. One of my son's friends was dating in 5th grade. He's a nice boy. I asked him "Why?". He said he didn't know. Sometimes I think parents push it more than the kids do. They are in 6th grade now, and some are dating but most are not. My son is 12 and not interested at all. He could not possibly care less about school dances. I wasn't interested myself till I was in high school. I told him he's not dating one on one at least till he's 16, and groups of friends going to see a movie every so often are fine. He's still not interested. That's fine by me. He doesn't need distractions from his school work and keeping up his straight A's.

Wow. If it makes you feel any better, I have heard my 2nd grader talking to a buddy about "Oh, he dumped her...." ???!!!!
I am sooooo not ready for this....

No, you are not going crazy and it is not just your area - I have noticed the same thing and I find it alarming. It seems to happen much earlier now than it used to imho.

It's better in the homeschooling community (thank goodness) - at least in our area. But when we were in traditional school it was OUT OF CONTROL.

My boys sound alot like your son - not as "into" that whole scene (though they both like girls). They focus more on sports and academics. We have had some very aggressive girls from time to time . . . we just consistently rebuff in a nice way. I'm amazed at what some girls do now (I was raised to not call or be "forward" with boys, not that I always listened). Today it seems like girl moms encourage it!

I'm all for kids learning how to handle the opposite sex, but I'm not for "dating" (whatever that means in middle school) or excessive time spent with the other gender. It's just not the time or place.

Good luck with it all . . .

Oh, 6th grade was horrible - they all went from being kids to being tweens and all my son's friends suddenly had girlfriends. Ugh. Mine is like yours - he had no interest in "dating" in 6th but his two best friends always had girlfriends.

As horrible as it sounds he needs to "break up" with this girl if he is really not interested. You have done all you can by talking to her Mom and if her Mom doesn't understand to teach her daughter to back off then your son will have to. He can tell her he is not interested in her that way; he is too busy to have a girlfriend; his parents will not let him have a girlfriend. As adults we know there are many variations of the break up speech.

Talk to your son, find out how he wants to handle it and then teach him the words to use. There is no easy way out of this one - someone is gonna' have their feelings hurt unfortunately.

Also, make sure your son understands that it is okay to not want to have a girlfriend and that there is no stigma to waiting until he is older. Mine is 14 and in the 9th grade now and still has not had a "girlfriend". He realizes that he has lots of time and just doesn't seem to worry about it.

I wish this was something in the water but it is only just beginning.

I think this is LARGELY a result of how kids are raised and where the focus is. In addition, handling relationships is a life lesson that is IMPERATIVE. If you never learn how to handle relationships.......good, bad and indifferent, then you'll have A LOT of problems in life. You have to deal with friends, family, neighbors, store clerks, business associates, etc. EVERY DAY.
There are SSSSOOOOO many people out there that think having another person in their life makes them happy. They don't realize that they have to work on themselves FIRST! If you're not happy with yourself, you'll never make another person happy.

So many people don't even have a CLUE who they are, much less have the capability to be in a HEALTHY relationship. If you are unhealthy, the chances of you being in a healthy relationshp are RARE. People need to focus on BEING the right person not FINDING the right person.

If your son is focused on other things........GOOD FOR HIM!!! ENCOURAGE it!!! Let him focus on the things that will bring out his gifts, talents, etc and develop maturity, independence, etc. He's got DECADES to focus on females. This girl needs to focus on the same thing.

Just remind him to be a good friend and ENCOURAGE her to find things that develop her gifts, talents, etc. too.

I think it is pretty normal. My 12 yr old son either hasn't gotten the itch yet, or is playing so low key that it isn't really noticeable yet. But his MOOD swings are insane!

He's in 7th. I know a friend (of mine) told me that at their school a lot of kids will SAY they have a girlfriend/boyfriend just so kids will leave them alone. My son has friends who are girls. One at church in particular, they are very close and more like brother and sister. The girls DO get that girl/boy thing going a lot sooner than the boys do, though.

Sorry I'm not much help. But I can empathize!

Do a Google Search on "Tween Development."
Your son is a Tween.
Tweens are from 9-12 years old.
Then the "Teen" phases hit.

This is definitely an issue everywhere. I agree that many parents definitely encourage this type of behavior. I think some want to push them towards the opposite sex out of fear. Also, girls lately seem to be really aggressive. Many are never taught what it means to act like a young lady, and children(teens) overall are not taught the "courting" phase. Middle school is the time when hormones kick in. Most of them are reaching puberty (esp. girls) and they are surrounded with images that are over-sexual and aggressive. So many approach dating as if you "own" someone else and are quick to move into sexual situations.

My friend's son is in 8th grade. He is very handsome, athletic, funny, and smart, and the girls are ON HIM. He has had to "break up" with a few different girls who want to get way too serious too fast. A few even saying that they love him. He just tells them that they are moving too fast for him. In 7th grade he was offered sex by several girls. Fortunately he talked to his mom about it first. He says he's "only" kissed.

In our family, male/female friendships are permitted. But dating doesn't begin until 16. Period. However, we are very open about talking about everything from feelings to bodies to sex. They are taught about pregnancy and STD's, and at about 16 or 17, they can get condoms. I've taught my nephews about vindictive girls and advised them to ALWAYS have their OWN condoms. I also tell them to never say "I love you" if they don't mean it, and explained about breaking someone's heart and being honest.

It's difficult, but the best advice is to just talk to them about EVERYTHING and stay very in tune with what they are doing and who they are with. Do not expect other parents to be responsible. I know of several mothers of teens who have even allowed the boyfriend (or girlfriend) to literally move in with them and share a room/bed.

Normal. Cross your fingers, say your prayers, and hope he escapes without trauma!