Teen Issues: Dating, Courtship … OR?

Guard your heart

Our eldest daughter is 15. Recently our discussions with her have centred around dating. We’ve had some good talks, but we haven’t come to an agreement on when we will allow her to start dating.

Here are some questions we’ve been discussing:

• What is your definition of dating?
• What is the goal of dating?
• How old do you want to be when you get married?
• How long do you think it is reasonable to date before you get married?
• What kind of man do you want to marry? (What qualities are you looking for in a husband?)
• Does the guy you want to date have the ability and desire to provide for you and any children you may have in the future?

Here are some resources we’re exploring:

• B4UD8: Before You Date – 7 Things You Need to Know Before Your Next Date by Hayley and Michael DiMarco
• True Purity: More Than Just Saying “No” to you-know-what by Hayley and Michael DiMarco
• I Gave Dating a Chance by Jeramy Clark
• I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

My husband and I chose not to date multiple people before we were married. We also chose to set our standards high – we did not kiss each other until our wedding day. We have no regrets. However, we realize there are other godly people who made other choices. We also know that we can encourage and teach our kids, but ultimately they will have to make their own choices and face their own consequences in life. We pray for wisdom in this and other parenting issues!

If you have suggestions, we’d enjoy hearing them.