Worried for som on dating sites

[shellyleppard]

My son is 19 and bi sexual. Hes very quiet and reserved, has met a guy on a dating site. I'm concerned for him dating as he doesn't have much confidence or life experience. Should I just let him get on with it or am I right to be concerned about online dating??

Be concerned but let him do what he wants/needs to do. He won't get confidence and experience with dating if you don't step back.

There are safety things that can be out in place - meeting in a public place etc.

At this point however, he's an adult and you need to respect how he chooses to date.

@CillaDog thank you. I'm trying not to overworry but I can't help it. We have talked about meeting in public, not to do anything he's not happy with etc

@shellyleppard we all worry as parents. Your son will thrive I am sure. Try and keep positive and lighthearted in conversations so you don't pass the anxiety and worry on to your son.

What is it that you're worried will happen? Dating is meant to be about the experiences right? Falling madly in love, heartbreak, first kisses, weekends away, holidays ...

As long as he is open with you and knows he has a safe place to talk about the good and the bad it's a positive step forward in him exploring same sex relationships as aligns with his bisexual identity.

It’s how people date now. Even at that age. It’s how they date.
Do you want him to be single forever? You don’t think he should get out there and find a partner at all? Or you just don’t like the online aspect of it?

@CillaDog he's autistic and gets overwhelmed with emotions sometimes. So if it did go wrong it would upset him quite badly.

@Ivehearditbothways it's the online bit I'm worried about. You hear so many stories of things going wrong. Also he's autistic and struggles with emotions. So if things did go wrong it would affect him for months

Lalalaletmeexplain book block delete move on is really good- it's mainly written for women dating men but I think it would all be good for him

You need to make sure he has a good support system - friends, a therapist or family members - autistic people are vulnerable to being gaslit as they are used to being told that they make
Social faux pas so they may not trust their guts

@shellyleppard anyone who suffers a broken heart struggles, and I can understand autism may make that harder to process.

However many autistic people have successful, fulfilling, and happy relationships that start online.

Focus on it as a learning experience not the be all and end all.

@CillaDog @Unexpectedlysinglemum thank you both for the good advice x