Eben Mishkin

Ok, so I'm still on pinterest and I found this post about Mom and Son Dates That Create Memories For A Lifetime.

On the one hand, I'm kinda on a JJ kick, so it's perfect.

On the other hand... is anyone besides me a little... uncomfortable with this? Like I'm sure it's sweet and wonderful but date seems like a risky metaphor here. I dunno maybe I'm reading too much into it. Perhaps the problem is just that I write JJ who would mean it exactly how it sounds. I think if the post didn't specifically mention the boy and his father going to buy her flowers for dates. Flowers, Dinner, and a Movie just sounds a little too close to a date date.

On the gripping hand, reading most of the ideas, they seem like good fun outings. If she didn't call them dates, I'd think, yeah, good parenting. And maybe, just maybe, the modeling behavior is a good thing. If a kid learns that the purpose of a date is just to go connect and have fun and that's it, the date itself is its own reward, maybe that's a really good lesson for boys to learn. My few experiences of dating were nightmare balls of anxiety because I was too worried about what might come after the date to enjoy said date. My successful relationships were all ones where we were dating before I knew we were dating so I was just having fun. I enjoyed the actual time instead of worrying about anything else. Even to the point of making a semi-lewd joke to my now wife's mother >_< because we were just friends and nothing at all could happen >_< never mind that her mother was along for the excursion because my wife wanted her opinion on me as significant other material. So maybe this is the right lesson and I'm just prudish.

But then I'm right back to remembering being in support group rooms and hearing people talk about how damanging behavior that this resembles was for them. And I'm looping back to being uncomfortable. So I don't know.

And I have literally no idea how to tag this.