I don't know about you, but for me, my kids are growing up too fast! So fast that their new firsts pull the rug right out from under my world!

You see, my son (who turns 16 in August) has begun dating. That absolutely caught me off guard! Are you kidding me? He has a lot of friends who are girls but this is the first time he's had a girlfriend.

I'm thinking, is he ready - prepared for this? Technically, he's not 16 until August, although he'll be a junior in high school this fall.

I didn't react to the news well because I was the one who wasn't prepared!

Once again my role as a parent is changing; transitioning. I admit it's not easy for me. My husband wasn't much help. Couldn't understand why I was freaking out so much.

Frankly, I didn't understand it much either! But I'm sure other moms have felt this way too. I was anxious, nervous, angry, sad, scared. Mostly the reality of my son as a teenager hit me - hard!

It's been a trying few weeks for me but I'm breathing again. I've been introduced to the girlfriend (a cute redhead) and my son has reassured me 'I'll always love you mom.'

He became my comforter, reassuring me that everything's going to be OK. Role reversal?

As it stands now, I am easing into this new phase of my mom role in his life.

After weeks of the giggles over my behavior, my husband became an adult again and we sat down together with our son. We came up with some dating rules for all of us!

First: dating begins at age 16; he still has a curfew; he needs to let us know where he's heading on his dates; he needs to call home if he's changing locations or if he will be a few minutes late. And we've talked to him about values and expectations when it comes to sexuality. We were blunt. He was embarassed but receptive. But it was a good discussion and we're now in the midst of teen dating. Wish us well!

By the way, I'll keep you posted on my husband's reaction when his only daughter starts dating!