At least until their 16 or 17, never before.

I picked 16-17.... that's when I started dating. I don't really see a need to start any earlier than that. I don't know a single person that started dating before then that stayed with the person they were dating.... and very few relationships before 16 or 17 tend to not end well.

Plus I think that once you hit 16 or 17 you are close to being old enough to handle possibly having a kid... if that happens. I don't think there are many 14 year olds that could handle that.

I think that if you're old enough to drive, you're old enough to date. Kids don't seem capable of being in strong, mature relationships when they're young. They still freak out about the "such-and-such likes so-and-so" drama, or they get all emotional when the littlest thing happens.

In other words, they're still developing emotionally, and they need time to get used to their emotions before dating someone that they think of as "the one for them."

Kids today can be rather...dense and irrational on the topic of dating. Not all kids, but most.






Image upload: 150x150 totaling 4 KB's.

Honestly I don't think people should date till after high school. I don't think you are ready any earlier. This might be because of my old fashion mindset that dating is going through a relationship with someone that could be your future spouse to spend time with the rest of your life. I don't believe in dating "for fun" like dating someone who you think that is good-looking, but don't really "like" the person and date to see if you do "like" the person. And with no question to oneself on whether one is compatible with one another. That is a recipe that can lead to sour friendships and horrible experiences. Time and energy would be wasted to if dating was done in an immature way.

Granted, I'm not saying that people who date before high school ends are making a big mistake(and no suggestion about ending it either). No suggestion about that. I just really feel that people have a more mature perspective on dating when they are done with high school. College is a perfect setting for dating: You are more mature, you are away from your parents, you are deciding for yourself, you get to spend time more easier, and can really be there for each other, even in stressful times (and college can be really stressful).

Meh, I think age is just a number. I think you just have to be mature enough. Of course, to actaully "date" you need a place to go, hence a car. But if you wanna ride bikes to an ice cream shop or something when you're 13 or 14, go right ahead.

septembern : Well it depends on what you mean by "dating" ... does that include kissing and sex? Or simply hanging out with the opposite sex?

I think 13-14 if you're just kind of flirting in school, maybe going to parties with them or something. But I think 15-17 is good for relationships where you go to restaurants, solo dating, going to the movies, etc.

13-14 is when kids start dating usually, but I think its ok to start at 15-17 seems right, anything before seems wrong to me.

The sooner our children get messed up, the sooner they stop making stupid decisions.
Honestly, relationships at any of these ages usually end fairly quickly anyway.
I agree with Robert7. It depends on maturity more than age. If kids can handle a relationship, I'm not going to be the one to tell them that they can't have one.

15-16 sounds right... that's when I started at least.

I honestly know some kids who were dating when they were 12... I mean, WTF? Those chicks don't have boobs yet , what could possibly attract you to them?

I don't care. Whenever they want to.

Well, if they're just little kids, just let them play. I mean, what are two eight year olds going to get into? However, once they hit the teenage years, it becomes a much different matter. I'd say that once the young adult understands the consequences of possible actions that could occur in association with dating and is mature enough, then let them make their own decision. Everyone matures differently. I think that I could handle it now (I am 18), but not a year ago. That's just me.

I choose 15-16 since that was my first relationship. I refuse to do the whole highschool thing because of that relationship and all of the crappy drama they bring. Anyway its not very likely you will find the "love of your life" when your still in high school. Im not saying that everyone will never find a long lasting relationship in high school.

I think around 16 is good. Then the "young adult" is able to drive themselves and have maybe reached a maturity level appropriate for dating. I had my first serious relationship toward the end of high school. Of course it never reached the caliber of my current relationship; however, I was old enough and mature enough to have a healthy partnership with my boyfriend. We would hang out, watch movies, he would get me flowers, and it made me a happier person. I dont believe that parents should ever prevent children from expressing how they feel when it comes to being attracted to the other sex. It is best just to keep them properly informed and give them reasonable boundaries that you come up with together. ie. home by a certain time, no closed doors, and generally respecting themselves. This was what my parents did with me and I believe I have turned out ok

I think that 15-16 is a good age. Any thing that is lower than that really just does not have the same value. Both of them really have no idea what dating even means.

septembern : Well, I think that my life experience might actually differ from my opinion on this one. I started dating relatively young when I was in Junior High and although I probably would have been much better served to wait; I personally didn’t have any problems until I reached High School.

I do believe that there is a bit of a difference between when I was growing up and how kids are raised today so I have mixed feelings on this one. I guess it might boil down to the individual because people mature at different stages and there is no real set starting point in regard to that. If I were a parent I would be extreme cautious as far as keeping an eye on my kids.


I am an Uncle of six so I do understand the tendencies to be overprotective but I think it is a bit of a delicate balancing act of sorts because although you want to shield kids from trouble and perhaps keep them from going down the paths that you may have, eventually kids will get cleaver and no matter how much you try to protect and caudle them; the bottom line is you cannot watch them twenty-four hours a day.

I also believe that it is not necessarily a good idea to be overly strict with kids. I feel kids need supervision but throwing orders at kids isn’t always best. At least that is the way I feel about it. Kids are also exposed to far more now as apposed to when I was growing up so I think that also needs to be taken into account.

Well I think 14-15 because kids aren't ready for what comes with dating, because one of my friends was at somebody's house and his girlfriend gave him a b***job. I just think thats plain wrong. Cause if kids start dating they're going to rush things and not know what they're getting into... it's horrible, really.

15 or 16 but generation now and days seemed to have evolved now you got 8 year olds dating One way or another a majority of people are not going to be happy with end result unless you get lucky. Lot of broken hearts & drama.