Anonymous wrote:What age do you think dating is ok?

Supervised group dates, 13-14 (ie school dances, bowling, etc)

Independent group dates, 14-15.

Car dates, 16. Must be old enough to drive self home if necessary. Also should be familiar with how do drive a manual transmission for the same reason. Date must come to the door and introduce self to parents.

Middle school is too young for dating. Read the thread about the W. Springfield HS sexting and filming/sharing drunk sex scandal involving 14-16 year olds, and see all the people wondering how these nice kids get to that point. It doesn't happen overnight.

Parents who think dating in junior high is acceptable should really evaluate what the hurry is.

http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=4d16f06a9741c170baf9ebbb88e50e4b&f=96

This is what they do on dates.

"Dating" has taken on a whole new definition. In my time "dating" meant that a boy and girl would often go out together alone to a movie, a restaraunt, or to another place but always alone.

Now days "dating" can mean hanging out in the hallways together, talking to each other at lunch, talking often online or on the phone, going to 3rd base, or all the way.

It all depends on what grade they are in and the definition of "dating" for that particular grade.
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There is a difference between "dating" and "going out on 'dates.'" The question is about the latter. The above answer is about the former. This difference has been true since I was in junior high/high shool in the 1980s and the above was considered "dating" even then. We didn't go on that many "dates" back then in the 1980s either (like dinner and a movie) although we might have once in a while. Sounds like things haven't changed much in the last 30 years.

What age do you think dating is ok?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 7th and was asked out. We declined--just seemed too young. But, some of her friends are dating. Not sure what to make of it.

Helicopter much? Shouldn't that have been your DD declined?

Don't jump on her. I'm sure the scenario was 7th grade DD asked parents about it, they said no. That is where the 'WE' comes in 'we declined'.

Absolutely within her right as a parent. My parents did it in the 80s.

I think I might prefer my DD to date instead of going to basement parties.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 7th and was asked out. We declined--just seemed too young. But, some of her friends are dating. Not sure what to make of it.

Helicopter much? Shouldn't that have been your DD declined?

My daughter was 11 when she started 7th grade. A tall 11, but 11 nonetheless. It is absolutely within our bailiwick to prompt her to decline a date from a 14 year old boy two grades ahead of her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 7th and was asked out. We declined--just seemed too young. But, some of her friends are dating. Not sure what to make of it.

Helicopter much? Shouldn't that have been your DD declined?

I'm pretty sure that telling your daughter she's too young to go on a date when in 7th grade is a common parenting practice of long-standing, and therefore ineligible for the helicopter label we so love to fling around to show how cool and laid-back we are.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 7th and was asked out. We declined--just seemed too young. But, some of her friends are dating. Not sure what to make of it.

Helicopter much? Shouldn't that have been your DD declined?

"Dating" has taken on a whole new definition. In my time "dating" meant that a boy and girl would often go out together alone to a movie, a restaraunt, or to another place but always alone.

Now days "dating" can mean hanging out in the hallways together, talking to each other at lunch, talking often online or on the phone, going to 3rd base, or all the way.

It all depends on what grade they are in and the definition of "dating" for that particular grade.

My DD is in 7th and was asked out. We declined--just seemed too young. But, some of her friends are dating. Not sure what to make of it.

Is it a date if the parents drive the kids?

My DC has gone on some dates (like dinner - chipotle counts as dinner -and a movie). Started in 9th grade. Before that it was all just groups of friends.

I thought that this was a bit of a relic, and that now group dates (handful of boys, handful of girls, not all necesssarily bf/gf) was the norm. If traditional dating still regularly occurs, what is the typical age that this starts up?