I think what you’re actually saying is they haven’t had romantic relationships they’ve told you about / felt serious enough to tell you about.
the proms aren’t about this. Both down to circumstance.
Though I went to an all girls school where the related all boys school enabled them to invite girlfriends/ dates to their leavers ceremony. It was a massive deal whether you went or not and set up a ‘need a male to see and validate you’ dynamic at 16/17/18. awful, I had hoped schools didn’t do this any more.
what have they learned about relationships from you @MagicFarawayTea ?
what’s your love life like? What have you told them about how to navigate relationships?
at their age my parents were in an unhappy and failing marriage.
they didn’t talk to me about relationships at all. Just talked to be about theirs negatively.
so I spent my university years and early 20s single, pining for emotionally unavailable men like my father.
looking back the rare chances I had I made huge mistakes which is maybe what early 20 somethings do, but was made worse by a complete void of good guidance. I learned from romcoms and it took me ages to work out it really doesn’t work the way it does when you have a script writer.
didn’t change or improve until I went to therapy.
in contrast my very work orientated parents talked a lot about how to achieve academic and work success.
so by 25 I had straight As, a first and one relationship which fell apart and nearly destroyed me.
ive thought a lot about this and am seeking to give my own children similar (age appropriate) pep talks and positive stories on how to build successful romantic relationships just as I do about school work, friendships, money management, working world.
when they are teens and up i will make clear lll respect their choices on privacy but will be there to support and advise them on love and sex without judgement anytime they need me.