How help 16 yr old son deal with crush who has a boyfriend and won't move on.

[DadNeedsHelp]

My 16 yr old son met a girl 5 months ago.  They talked for a few weeks...first girl he paid attention to.  then she got mad at him for something stupid and they didn't talk for a while.  His good friend then asked her out and are now dating.  My son now says he liked her.  So for months he has gone through every emotion - anger, crying, sitting in dark for hours, then seems ok...now he just asks 7 times a day...do you think they will make it?  Depending on the answer depends on his mood thereafter.  I've gone on walks, tried to be nice, empathetic, then told him to move on, all of it.  I'm tired of the whole thing.  How can I get him to let go of this girl who, again, has a boyfriend.  I understand crushes but to be affected for months seems unhealthy.  Advice is appreciated!

[Iona-RO]

Hi @DadNeedsHelp 

Thanks for sharing with us and reaching out for advice. It sounds like you've been such a supportive parent for your son, it's really great to see!

I can imagine it must be quite concerning to see your son feeling really down about this situation and not moving on from it as quickly as you hoped. We have this great article that talks about teenagers and romantic relationships that might be helpful. We also have this one about boundaries which might be useful when chatting to your son about respecting the girl's decision to be with someone else.

It sounds like the situation is understandably causing you a lot of stress. Do you have anyone that you can talk to about how you're feeling? There are some great resources here if you wanted to connect with other fathers or chat to someone over the phone.