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CLICK TO PLAY EPISODE: What to do to keep her safe, and you sane.

Dear Lady Brain,

How do dads deal when there teenage daughter starts to date? I have a daughter that is a freshman in high school and have  jr boy asking her out! please help Lady Brain!

Dear Dad,

Lauren’s husband wanted to name their daughters Ghonna and Rhea, but short of that, there are some steps you can take to ensure you don’t lose your mind while she’s out trying to have a good time.

1. Meet the guy she’s going out with. Have him come pick her up at the house and grab a couple of minutes alone with him. Let him know your rules and enlist him to follow them. You can also stand menacingly in front of him with your arms crossed. Note–the bigger your arms the better this tactic works. Just ask Teddy.

2. Set limits with your daughter and have her on board. Since she’s telling you she’s dating it sounds like there’s already a conversation happening. This is a good thing and we suggest you work with her on what seems fair. But stand firm on your limits.

3. Be available–let her (and him) know that if they end up with any drinking or drugs in their system (oh, my how did that happen?) to CALL you. Any time. Would you rather be awakened than stay up wondering? You can also give her money for a cab.

4. Make sure she understands the birds and the bees. And how to swat away the bees. Or the birds. Hopefully by now you’ve had ‘the conversation’ and given her tips on how to deal with awkward situations and how to get out of them. Give her confidence that “no” means no, don’t be embarassed to insist they use protection. Teddy is planning to put his daughter on the pill when she starts to menstruate–but that doesn’t stop STDs!

5. Be informed about where they are going.

6. Don’t obsessively call her every 5 minutes.

It’s a right of passage and your job, as it always has been, is to do what you can to help her exercise good judgement, be safe and be responsible.  Plus, take their photo so you can show her what a dork that guy was when she’s all grown up.