Parents begin preparing their child to experience love from the moment they are born, whether they realize it or not.

Children raised in loving homes are more likely to make healthy choices in general, including in romantic relationships, according to research. But what if she falls in love while still eating from the children’s menu?

It turns out that a parent’s relationship with his child is the bedrock of that youngster’s emotional well-being. According to a recent review of data from 957 interviews with children (aged 5 to 15), having good ties with parents and peers led to better decisions when it came to young love. Strong parent-child and friend interactions were also found to make children less likely to engage in intense romantic relationships at a young age, according to the study.

Crushes are inevitable, and kids may even develop strong feelings for a friend or neighbor — which is where you come in. Parents must be present for their children during and after romantic relationships, and how you prepare him will help your child weather the storm, including the nearly unavoidable anguish that comes with a breakup.

Young Love: 4 Tips for Uneasy Parents

Around 20% of 15-year-olds claimed they were currently in a romantic relationship in the same research. You might hope that your child doesn’t fall in love till he’s out of puberty, but the study shows that young love does exist. The way you handle the subject with your child will aid you in navigating this new territory of adult feelings.

“I think what parents need to know is that it’s a natural part of growth,” says Kevin T. Navin, LCSW, a certified clinical social worker at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock’s Walker Family Clinic.

But it’s still a period in which you can have a part in shaping. Parents of young children in romantic relationships, for example, can keep their children active and engaged in relationships and activities outside of their young love. This safeguards the strong social support they’ll require as they begin — and end — their romance.

“If your child has a good support structure, the inevitable break-up will not force their social life to come to a full halt.” “This also provides children with a lot of support and people to lean on, which can help them combat relationship abuse, early sex, and heartbreak,” Navin says.

• Set the example. Like it or not, your child will do what you do, regardless of what you say. Use your adult relationships, especially your marriage or other long-term commitments, to show them how people who love each other treat each other.
• Chat about love. Use some of your own funny and bittersweet early romance stories to bond with your child and, if possible, convey that “even the pain of a failed romance eventually goes away or becomes the seed for a wisdom that brings even greater love later on,” according to George Scarlett, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
• Laugh about old boyfriends. Use some of your own funny and bittersweet early romance stories to bond with your child and, if possible, convey that “even the pain of a failed romance eventually goes away or becomes the seed for a wisdom that brings even greater love later on,” according to George Scarlett, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
• Have “the talk.” Conversations about sex probably needs to happen earlier than you would like — ideally, says Navin, before the kids are swept away by young love. In addition to talking about sex, you also need to talk about oral sex and sexting.