# When your son discovered girls... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 6, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093 "2018-11-06T19:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/1 "2018-11-06T19:41:53Z")
How did they change? I remember he didnt need to be asked to shower anymore and generally started to dress better. How about yours? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/2 "2018-11-06T19:46:18Z")
Interesting thought. My oldest son is only 8, so he’s not “there yet”, but he already stays clean, dresses decent, and is fairly gentlemanly around the ladies. I’m trying to look back at myself. I don’t think I changed that much in terms of cleanliness or dress, I think I might have just become a little more nervous and stand-offish around girls. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/3 "2018-11-06T20:02:39Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I don’t think I changed that much in terms of cleanliness or dress, I think I might have just become a little more nervous and stand-offish around girls. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/4 "2018-11-06T20:18:04Z")
Same here for my two…and I guess myself back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/5 "2018-11-06T20:25:19Z")
Son-of-a-wrek did actually care more about showering and teeth cleaning. But mostly he got a lot stupider for a year or so. He grew out of the stupid stage and is now a happily married father of 2 girls. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/6 "2018-11-06T21:02:43Z")
I remember I used to be able to walk into my son’s room with impunity. Then he got to that age: “Dad! I’m on the phone!” As he would say with clinched jaw. I seemed to have lost some major “cool points” since he became aware of girls. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/7 "2018-11-07T03:30:42Z")
… I was relieved. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/8 "2018-11-07T03:35:49Z")
We were in the SCA during that time, and he spent most of his time at events playing Magic the Gathering and hanging out with younger kids. Then he found out that if he danced, he’d get to hang out with college girls. So, he started dancing. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/9 "2018-11-07T04:49:17Z")
Back in the day, the biggest sign was a spike in phone usage. When I die, a bar graph will show the bulk of my lifetime phone usage was still from grades 9-12, even counting tech support hold times. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/10 "2018-11-07T05:03:26Z")
Both Bros had been conscious of the existence of girls since they were toddlers; neither went through a “girls are yucky” phase. Littlebro was quite irritated by the kindergarten classmate who had decreed that they would get married, “and you’ll make all the money and I’ll spend it”; the distribution of tasks bothered him but not as much as her having decreed so rather than asking for his opinion. One of the things which eventually had him and now-Mrs-Littlebro set up as a couple in everybody’s minds was how quickly they reach agreement on pretty much anything, including on stuff in which they agree to disagree. But we knew Middlebro had met Her when he started keeping O’Clock hours on weekends. Mr. Impunctual, being predictable on timing? It took us about five minutes to figure out which trains he was taking. So, we knew when he’d met her and where she was from 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/11 "2018-11-07T06:37:11Z")
Why do you assume he’s straight? ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/12 "2018-11-07T12:40:29Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Back in the day, the biggest sign was a spike in phone usage. When I die, a bar graph will show the bulk of my lifetime phone usage was still from grades 9-12, even counting tech support hold times. Nowadays you find their texting suddenly increases. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/13 "2018-11-07T15:00:58Z")
My son (17) never mentioned anything at all about girls. He was really into his sports, video games/computer, and his posse of friends. One day about a year ago we texted him to find out if he was planning on coming home for dinner, and where he is. He sent back a cute text that he was at “his girl”. He eventually revealed her name and we got to meet her - nice girl. It eventually fell apart after a few months. Rumor has it that he may be seeing someone else, but he probably wont mention it to us until it is more real (and harder to hide). Yes, I had already begun “the discussion” with him, which is ongoing. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/14 "2018-11-07T15:58:03Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > How did they change? > > I remember he didnt need to be asked to shower anymore and generally started to dress better. > > How about yours? The Firebug is 11, and he’s discovering girls. Haven’t noticed any other changes that weren’t happening already. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/15 "2018-11-07T16:07:31Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > … I was relieved. Could you explain this, please? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/16 "2018-11-07T16:37:01Z")
My son married his first girlfriend that he met when he was 14. They were both nerds and started planning for their futures from day one almost. It amazes me how they set down goals and timetables and have maintained that schedule for the past 28 years. I would have to say he didn’t change at all, maybe a little less time on his sports. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-your-son-discovered-girls/824093/17 "2018-11-07T17:08:20Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > My son married his first girlfriend that he met when he was 14. They were both nerds and started planning for their futures from day one almost. It amazes me how they set down goals and timetables and have maintained that schedule for the past 28 years. I would have to say he didn’t change at all, maybe a little less time on his sports. Cool story.