How common is being into boys at 13? ( Girls)

[hugocat]

Is this normal these days? DD is a few months off 12, started her periods a few months ago and now has a little boyfriend 😂

Few months off 13 I mean

Very. Sounds normal, and has been for decades. It was normal for girls to be into boys at 13, and younger, when I was at school in the ‘70s.

I would say that’s always been quite normal. I didn’t have a boyfriend till 15 and was considered a very late bloomer amongst friends. This was 20 years ago!

Completely normal to be intrigued, interested, 'dating' people.

13 is the absolute main age for being "into boys" as opposed to actually having romantic relationships with individual males as adults would understand it, isn't it?
It is the age for pairing off for social status, buying each other teddies from clinton's cards, maybe the odd kiss, and 400,000 hours a week daydreaming, over analysing and wondering if a different shade of mascara would make a difference.

Um. Completely?

I had "boyfriends" and was going on "dates" at 12, and I wasn't particularly boy-crazy or wild. I remember a lot of very nervous landline calling and chatting and some rather innocent kissing, cinema handholding, and "my friend likes your friend".

My DD is 14 and horrified by boys
I had a boyfriend at 13. Pretty innocent though, no more than a weekly snog at the youth club.
I don't think it's unusual. Might be appropriate to have a conversation around boundaries, consent, sexting, photos, etc though.

@BestZebbie

13 is the absolute main age for being "into boys" as opposed to actually having romantic relationships with individual males as adults would understand it, isn't it? It is the age for pairing off for social status, buying each other teddies from clinton's cards, maybe the odd kiss, and 400,000 hours a week daydreaming, over analysing and wondering if a different shade of mascara would make a difference.

Haha! Totally. That was the age when getting a teddy from a "boyfriend" and having one put his arm around you in the cinema was a Big Deal. We thought we were so grown up. I'm smiling now remembering it.

A few of the girls I went to school with were giving blow jobs and having sex at 13. I still wanted to play with dolls!

Very normal. I had 'boyfriends' (obviously nothing sexual) from 11. Everyone was boy mad at my school at 13 in about 2008

It's normal. Partly because it's developmentally appropriate at that age, but partly because of peer pressure. By that age there will be a lot of discussion about who likes who, and it would be a brave 13 year old who said "I'm not really into that yet."

Glad it's normal, I had a boyfriend aged 14 until 16 but he broke my heart so it is a bit worrying.

@saffire

A few of the girls I went to school with were giving blow jobs and having sex at 13. I still wanted to play with dolls!

Nooo!! Cringe. I think it was 14 at my school!

I run a few youth groups I'd say as a general rule, Y6 groups of girls giggling about groups of boys and taking about boy friends but not having them cos the opposite sex is still a bit yuk, Y7 teasing each other about being girlfriend and boyfriend, having a "first boyfriend" for a week or two sitting together at lunch, holding hands at the park. Y8 slightly longer term boyfriend relationship maybe a kiss or cuddle, planning to spend time together. Y9 starting to have more serious relationships with boys, spending time alone with them, going for walks etc draping arms round each other at youth clubs sitting on knees. Y10+Y11 transitioning to the kind of relationship that you'd recognise as being more adult, I know of a few that have got together whilst 15-16 who have gone on to get married, start families etc.

Yeah I thought it was awful! My best friend was pregnant at 14 but didn't have the baby. I hadn't even kissed anyone at that point!

Scary as I have an 11 year old and she's already boy crazy.

It sounds quite normal to me. I was boy mad at that age but wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend before the age of 14.

My 11 year old likes malfoy from Harry potter she fancied the boy next door at one point.