My daughter, Kate, just turned the sweet “16” last week (on Halloween, actually) and around our house that means the beginning of dating, which led her and I to having some conversations about Smart Dating Rules in High School. I wanted to share a few of these ideas with all of you… it’s scary to let your little kiddos head out into the big dating world, eh?!
1– Have good clean fun! Enjoy your High School dating years by dating a variety of people- this will help you start to figure out what attributes you enjoy and also the ones you don’t!
2– Begin by dating in groups, doing fun outings with a lot of kids takes most of the stress out of learning the ins/outs of dating.
3– Date a lot of different people! Now is the time to begin learning what you like and what you don’t like in other peoples personalities. This will help you gain the confidence you’ll need to someday pick “the one” who you’ll spend the rest of your life.
4– If you haven’t learned proper etiquette and manors; now’s the time! You don’t want your date thinking you were raised in a barn. I might be kind of old school but opening car doors and any door for a lady is a must in dating. AND ladies remember to be gracious and appreciative by allowing and saying thank you to these gestures.
5– Respect your curfew time and the curfew time of your date… don’t leave your folks worried to death at home because you are 30 minutes late with no phone call. (or we worry ourselves silly!)
6– Carry a cell phone and some extra cash with you, things happen and sometimes you may need to fall back on them.
7– Check in with your parents before leaving for a date. Let them know what your evening looks like and what time you think you’ll be home so they can watch your back 🙂
8– Trust your feelings. If you are put in a situation that makes you uncomfortable don’t be afraid to speak up! Ask to watch a different movie or go to a different activity or even- to be taken home. Call for back up if your request is not respected.
9– Don’t ever cross your friends. The dating guys/girls will come and go in your life but your friends are there to stay. Be respectful of them and whoever they have their eye on.
10– Beginning to date can be so much fun! Enjoy this time in your life and save the serious, steady dating for when you’re all grown up and ready to find that special someone.
I hope these 10 Smart Dating Rules are helpful for kiddos that are just beginning to date. I’m sure there are a list of a hundred things we could come up with if we really put our minds to it but these 10 ought to be a good place to start 🙂
I think one of the most important things we can do as parents is have open communication with our teens. If they trust us with the small stuff they’ll know where to turn when the big stuff comes!
What would you all add to this list? Any fabulous ideas out there you’d like to share? Leave a comment and lets brain storm together 🙂
Love,
Ruth
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Wonderful tips!