It doesn't matter what age you start at because anything before 16 is most likely shallow, immature, hold hands and giggle stuff. I've been allowd to date since before gr.8 and everything before i got into gr.11 wasn't really a relationship with real meaning or substance. I believe that if you start dating somebody, the first person your date should meet is your parents. If your parents aren't comfortable with him take their advice to heart because they know more about dating and life than you. Help your parents get to know him because they don't want to see you get hurt, and they want to make sure you don't become sexually immoral or get sexually assaulted. I think you should do every rational thing possible to make your parents comfortable with your date because if your parents aren't comfortable with you dating him it'll just cause trouble

Hmmm... dating? Well, actually i have only dated once... believe me, the first time was when we had our senior's ball and i absolutely have no partner but luckily the brother of my friend was there and he became my escort. We havent met before but my mom suggested to invite him to our house and come pick me up for a little get-to-know-together and hang out at the mall. It was kind of cool though but I was sort of nervous too as to what to say to him. We just went window shopping and sort of talked about small stuff until i got comfortable with him and to me, that was good and it was a nice experience.
I am born into a family wherein my parents are sort of protective of who i am with but anyway i am used to it so it is ok. I think that dating SHOULD START AT LEAST 16 or older because at least they know how to behave themselves and they have already a lot of experiences to help them in difficult situations. As for younger ones, it should only be friendship first as there is a whole life ahead of them>>>> they should not hurry in dating and relationships because they ought to enjoy the fun things in friendships first. Also, early dating and courtship is kind of dangerous especially of the youth today because they seem to think that getting physically close to one another is true love which is not. I think parents should be able to stress out to children that they should enjoy life first and start dating when they are 16 or older.

Your lucky that you have to be 16, I have to wait till I'm 18 till I can date, that bites. My parents are sooo overprotective that they won't even trust me to go to the mall with my friends. What's up with that?

i think that daing is cool ,as long as it stays dating . it shouldnt turn into what the"datee"wants to physicly do with his/her girlfriend or boyfriend it should just stay dating. usually thats what parents are afraid of , if you can convince your parents your trustworthy in that type of situation than their should be no problem in being able to date at a younger age!personally i havent exactly told my dad that im going out with my bf but i ve just let him get to know him and see what i see in him.

A friend to me is just someone who will talk to me on the phone , and when they say there going to call you back they do.Also a person who shows respect to there selves and you, and i'll just a person who would be there for you know matter what happeneds.
In Conclusion, I think a friend is a person who is always there for you,doesn't take advantage of you, and shows respect to you him/her.
I have a best friend that I guess she doesn't want to talk to me anymore because I didn't say hi to her at the movies.But in life you learn to move on.
-Claire

I personally dont care i cant date till i am 16 but hey i aint about ta argue and get grounded
duh it is just common sense

My parents won't let me date.. I think it's kinda stupid... would I really date anyway?

-Amy

And if I did is it really gonna matter that they said not to?

my dad'll let me date right now at 14, but my sisters can't date till they're 30. Ha, ha!! Fathers are just over protective of their daughters.

I live in a small town, i practically know every guy in the entire town almost. Plus the only thing you can do if you dont have a license is go to the movies or to a fast food resturant. Its a bor. I'm about to be 14 and im allowed to date when im 14, but to me dating is pointless, when you know everything about everybody. I dont even have a crush on anyone.

Don't feel bad, my friends can't even go to the movies or the mall with their friends (being the same sex) until their 16... They can't date until after high school. I can't date until I'm in the 9th grade, but I'm not upset or anything because no one has any interest in asking me out.

-Nicole

Hmm... I dunno.... I promised myself not to date until i'm 18.... And it's so hard to keep that promise, but I'm still going on. I'm not depressed or anything.

hey, i think its okay that ur parents set like an age. sometimes they do make mistakes but i think 16 is a reasonable age. but if that doesnt work for you then you can talk to your parents about it. i myself set the premises of dating until highschool. it really depends on a person's maturity and all. if you think you can handle dating and your parents think so too..its okay. but if ur not goin that well maybe consider waiting a while. but yea, teens aren't ALWAYS immature, we can make smart choices too.

Dating, for me , is not a problem, there arn't any guys who ask me out because I am not very pretty or thin. I feel lucky, really, not to have to worry about the whole going out, rumers, and breakups, but I help my friends that do have boyfriends, deal with the breakups when they occur. That's enough for me.

Consider yourself lucky, Y100Gothchick, that your parents care enough to set a limit. My parents don't care past the age of 13, and now that I am 13 I'm still waiting. Dating and breakups has been going on steadily for everyone else from sixth grade. My friend's sis has just started sixth grade and has already gone through ten 1-5 month relationships. It's just not ok, to see people your age blowing off everything. I know two kids who claim to have had *** already... also now very popular kids. I mean, eighth grade is just beginning. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and I want an education (which I can barely get through the gossip!) Most young teens my age, though, don't care. I've turned down offers (daily) from a real jerk since school began in September, and the situation gets worse day by day.

At least you don't have to deal with this stuff for a few years yet- count your blessings!

my mom totally freaks when she hears that i flirt with guys and stuff... and 1 time this guy wanted me 2 go 2 the movies with him and my mom totally freaked out and asked why i even bothered 2 ask her if i could go... i was really bummed. i think my mom takes it way to far. i just wanted to go see a movie with him.

well I belive that its cool to wait to date because people might not feel comfortable. I feel that dating is fun .I 16 and I can date but I know

I just happend to scroll down to the bottom of the page, where I told Harvey I would date him! Oh my gosh, I had no idea you were a girl! I am really sorry! I saw Harvey and assumed you were a boy. I'm not gay lol I swear! Now Stupidity, shes a different story

i'm 17 and i'm not yet allowed to date... but i really don't mind... i don't have anyone to date anyway? wat's the purpose of dating, anyway? you can get to know the other person in other circumstances other than in dating...
peace!

I think that basically u should date when ur ready and ur parents believe ur ready. I mean I personally think that its ok to date 13 and up. I mean as long as ur 'rents know the person well enuf to know how theyll act.

The reason is because some parents have diffrent views then other parents. It also depends if you have don stuff to make your parents not trust as much as they should.