Whenever I look back and reminisce about my life as a teenager, half the time I'd be shaking my head and wondering what got into me. I definitely gave my parents cause for headache during those years.

And when I think about what I was thinking back then, I can only shudder in fear when I finally get my turn in raising a teenaged child.

One of the things which I am concerned about is when my child starts dating.

"Dating is a parental values issue and one that should be decided upon as early as possible before your teen hits adolescence. How you view dating and marriage will determine the expectations your teenager has when he goes to middle and high school. If a parent decides that his child won't date until 16, then the child is being raised with the expectation that 16 is the magic number that will allow him to date. If, on the other hand, you as a parent don't believe in dating and want your teen to pursue a friendship that could lead to courtship and marriage, your approach and messages will be very different. The key is to be consistent with your messages and expectations."

As parents, whatever our views are, we should be prepared. That way, we can be reasonable adults when someone from the opposite sex comes knocking at our doors to ask for the teenaged girl in the house (or the other way around). None of that '100 Rules before you can date my teenaged daughter' kind of drama.

Source: Troubled With - To Date or Not to Date