Teens and relationships:  That boy who happens to like your daughter, the one who you can't stand -- keep it quiet -- zip it -- do not say anything.  Ask and answer questions.  So, you ask about the relationship, you hear things, and you think, "this is not a good situation, he sounds like a troublemaker". And, this can be absolutely reverse, it could be a girl he's dating and you've heard some bad things about her.  The more you say that is negative attached to that relationship the more your teen is going to want that relationship to flourish.  Even if they see it going down the tubes, they don't want to tell you, they don't want to talk you about it. But remember, a teen relationship is a really long relationship-- around three weeks.  Wow, we're still together! They're in ninth grade, it's three weeks long.  You can live through three weeks.  You can listen and use a listening ear, not the advice.  When they ask what you think, you've got to hold back a little bit.  It's "Well, I don't know.  What do you think?"  The more questions you ask, the more answers you'll get.  There's not really anything that you can say to your teen that's going to end  that relationship most likely, but you can be there to pick up the pieces-- if you've been kind while it's occurred.