I am a father of an 18 year old girl, and a 14 year old boy (not forgetting my 7 year daughter, but she doesn’t figure in this entry). And I have to put my hand up and say I am a man of complete double standards.
Whenever my daughter brings home a boyfriend, I can’t help myself but I give them a hard time. Now, I have never done much analysis on this, but for some reason I think I need to let the hairy dribbling primate that my daughter calls boyfriend know just who is boss. And I think that part of it is a need for them to understand I might be a bit nasty if they upset my daughter. I think that it is my clumsy way of being protective. Trouble is, it just doesn’t get seen that way by my daughter.
Now my son has started seeing a girl. She has been round to the house a couple of times. The thing is, I am totally different in that I wouldn’t want to do anything to put her at unease. However, my son’s girlfriends father doesn’t yet know that his daughter is seeing my son, as it is believed he would be ‘difficult’ about the situation.
My wife is pretty even handed with either situation. For some reason I just can’t be. I had some nasty girlfriends father experiences when I was dating (with the exception of my present father in law who was and still is terrific).It would seem that my son is about to discover the same. It must be genetic for girlfriends fathers to be awkward so and so’s.
Paul's life... too boring to be of interest to anyone 
Dad threw Rod out of the house one night … and we were engaged! I should hasten to add it was a misunderstanding. Mum had given permission for him to stay so we could watch a late night film together but no one had told Dad this so come ten o’clock he stood up, turned off all the lights and gave Rod a meaningful look. Rod didn’t argue -back then he was a corporal and Dad was a captain and as Rod said at the time, ” he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of a 6ft ex Royal Marine anyway”.
In fact now I come to think of it I can remember Dad chasing off another boyfriend as well. I think you must be right. It’s genetic.
I have another routine…….Well Neil brought round a girl who Lisa had concerns about, as her morals were rather risky to say the least (ood girl?I said hope she gentle with Neil? well that didn go down well with Lisa, as she gave me a disapproving glare with steam from the ears) as it was brought to our attention that she was a Bisexual!! Oh we heard that she broke up with her last boyfriend as his father bribed the son off with ?000. (I said I wasn paying any bribe to either party). Well Lisa was having a fit when she heard that, I wasn fazed in the slightest after all everything Neil does usually like to shock or surprise us :-
1/ When he was going through his Goth phase, having to get his nails painted before he went to school.
2/ Then he went into the long Straggly hair phase that he didn brush his hair and he just let it go.
3/ Now he on to the ?U>Chemical Romance phase?and he has to have his hair straightened every day and wear this Bandsman look alike Jacket all the time.
Anyway I had the approach of being overly nice to the girl, when she came round for tea, that way both Neil and she were both on edge and needless to say the relationship finished a week or two later, at least that way they won be forced together by the disapproving Parents. I don know if it because it my son who bringing round girlfriends first but I haven considered my daughter bringing round any boyfriends, but Ie got a few embarrassing routines that can be said that will sort out any testosterone charged boys that call round, but Il save that for the correct time and place. But thatl never happen anyway.
I find that I also want to make my son’s girlfriends feel comfortable, even if I’m not crazy about them. I’m not sure what that’s about, but I’m sure it’s because I don’t want my son upset that I’m “being mean!” I’m always polite… sometimes to the point of being annoying. I think the double standard with boys and girls is fairly common, though.
Yet another topic I can’t even begin to think about…. I’m just trying to get through three nights in a row with two dry beds!!!