9 Year Old Writes a Dating Advice Book
Young Alex Greven wrote a dating advice book which is now being published and turned into a movie. See the article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/dec/09/film-based-on-book-by-nine-year-old that describes the details on this. His dating advice includes things like, ‘Comb your hair’ ‘cut down on sugar’ and ‘not to wear sweats.’
As per my earlier article about the need for a national dating curriculum (with 12 year olds dating now) this confirms that even younger kids are often interested in the opposite sex and are thinking about ways to attract them.
Left to their own devices they can be pretty clever (Alex is a case in point) but things might work out even better if an adult (be it their parent or a relationship and child expert in school) were to discuss things with them, at their appropriate age level.
No matter what the age, with the rampant deception and manipulation tatics that have become such a common part of the dating language, singles need to remember that it is most attractive to be yourself and that the right person will love you (ala Bridget Jones) ‘just as you are.’
So hats off to Alex for making his mark and sharing his wisdom with peers. As adults, lets take this as a sign that children need our wisdom, conversation and support to help them grow in the areas they are already moving towards.
Bio: Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman is a psychologist and author of ‘Dating From the Inside Out’ by Atria Books. She runs ‘My Dating School’ in Manhattan (http://www.mydatingschool.com) and has a private practice where she sees singles and couples for psychotherapy. She does dating coaching by phone and runs classes and teleclasses in dating issues. She has been quoted as a relationship expert in Seventeen, Glamour and complete Women. She pens a monthly dating column at http://www.theimproper.com. She is also available for keynotes, workshops and media appearances.