From: A Parent’s Guide to Teen Dating Violence from www.loveisrespect.org

Everyone deserves a healthy relationship safe from violence and fear. Protect your teens from an abusive situation by learning these warning signs.

YOUR TEEN MAY BE EXPERIENCING PATTERNS OF AN UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP IF:

Your Teen:
•Apologizes and/or makes excuses for his/her partner’s behaviour.
•Loses interest in activities that he/she used to enjoy.
•Stops seeing friends and family members and becomes more and more isolated.
•Casually mentions the partner’s violent behaviour, but laughs it off as a joke.
•Often has unexplained injuries or the explanations often don’t make sense.

The Partner:
•Calls your teen names and puts him/her down in front of others.
•Acts extremely jealous of others who pay attention to your teen.
•Thinks or tells your teen that you, the parent(s), don’t like them.
•Controls your teen’s behaviour, checking up constantly, calling or texting,
and demanding to know who he/she has been with.

You:
•See the partner violently lose their temper, striking or breaking objects.

BREAK THE SILENCE, BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. START THE CONVERSATION NOW.