General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The CORRECT rules for dating my daughter [View all]Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)but they do make the rules about their bodies. As you point out, the dad in the picture seems to understand that, other parents don't at their peril.
Yes, parents need to set rules and boundaries, but most importantly they have to be realistic and reality-based. I see a lot of folks who aren't. Discussions of sex, drugs, and alcohol boil down to:
"Don't or I will disown you."
"Don't or you will be a slut."
"Don't or you you will die."
"Don't because it is bad."
"Don't because you will get hairy palms."
I am a bit weirder in that I don't believe parents should lie to their children, even about "trivial stuff like "Santa Claus". You should also never lie about your own mistakes. Once you lie to a child, you have zero credibility in the future. You seem to have learned from your own past and been honest with your kids. The dad in the picture seems to have done the same thing.