At what age will you let your daughter date?

United States
December 15, 2006 9:19pm CST
I'm just curious as to what age anyone out there will let their daughters start dating. I have 2 girls, and one is what they call a tween. She is asking to date or anything...Thank God! I know the day is coming and well I was thinking the earliest would be 16. What are your opinions on the proper age for them to start dating? If I had it my way it would be after graduating college!
3 people like this
24 responses
• United States
17 Dec 06
Well I think i want my daughter dating period until shes and adult..there are too many horn dog kids running around and I dont think my daughter should be taken out by a boy that is being lead around by whats in his underpants. So when she is old enough to be an adult then she can date but as for now im watching out for her.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Yes I know what you mean honey...but we can't keep them little forever. Thanks for your response.
@mamashane (1140)
• United States
17 Dec 06
Teenage dating is a frightening thing! Two of my daughters are teenagers. 15 and 13. We set a rule very yearly that our kids would not date until the age of 16. This is a strict rule in our house. Boy, what was I thinking? When my oldest daughter turned 14, she took an interest in boys, big time! I picked up the phone one night to make a call but my daughter was already on the line talking to a boy. I was surprised! We talked about this boy and come to find out they had been "seeing" eachother for about a month and she really liked him. My husband and I talked it over and we decided that we did not want her sneaking around and lying to us so we came up with a new set of rules. She was alowed to see him but only at our home when mom or dad was home. They had to be off the phone by 9pm and so on. My daughter was so happy that we didn't forbid her to see this boy because she broke the initial rule of no dating until 16, that she followed all of our new rules and we never had any problems. She ended up dating this boy for a year and they finally split up and are just friends now. I'm glad I didn't freak out and forbid her from boys because I think this would have just caused more problems and hurt our relationship.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Very frightening! Thanks for your response...it may just be quite helpful down the road.
1 person likes this
@anouk2005 (177)
• Netherlands
17 Dec 06
I have 4 daugther of the age of 1 ,3,8,12 years the oldest is now starting with make up and stuff like that i dont like it a bit but all her friend are using it to but 16 yes i think that is a good age (better later) but there starting to soon I think
• United States
17 Dec 06
Yes, thats what worries me....so many kids are starting things so young now. I just hope and pray my daughters aren't among them. Thanks for your response.
@shoelover (896)
• Australia
17 Dec 06
I have 3 daughters 22, 20 and 16. They have all been allowed to date at 16. Even when they had sleepovers with their friends I would always make sure they were fully supervised by parents. If the friend had an older brother I would not let them sleep over. I always thought caution was better than regret.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Yes I agree caution is better than regret. Thanks for your response.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Well, I don't have a daughter yet, heck I am not even married yet lol I don't even have a girl friend yet lol But, if I do have a daughter in the future, I would let her start to date at around 16 with adult supervision, and then when she turns 18 she can date without the adult supervision. :-)
• United States
17 Dec 06
:)lol Thanks for your response.
@pelya178 (693)
• United States
17 Dec 06
i dont have a daughter yet lol but she can date when shes ummm a hundred and 2 :-) lol boys AND guys cant be trusted nowadays lol
• United States
17 Dec 06
AMEN! lol Thanks for the response.
@chance00 (3331)
• United States
17 Dec 06
This all depends on the maturity level of the daughter.I do not think there should be a set limit once the child is in a high school setting because they will find a way to date at that age.So in my opinion when they reach high school.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Thanks for your response...I'm sure maturity level will determine alot of things.
@sunita64 (6469)
• India
17 Dec 06
16 is all right I also feel,we parents really feel scared for our children, now I think even our parents must have felt that way.
• United States
17 Dec 06
I know what you mean! Its scary out there, and sometimes I wish we could just keep them little and innocent forever. Thanks for the response.
@vmoore709 (1101)
• United States
17 Dec 06
I have to say that I will probably let mine go to the movies or something earlier than 16. Of course, she's only 7 right now so my mind just may change by then.
• United States
17 Dec 06
That you might...thats what worries me...times change so fast and I'm just scared of what this world is going to be like when they are ready to date. Thanks for your response.
• United States
17 Dec 06
I HNAVE A 3 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER AND MY ANSWER IS NEVER!!!!!!!!
• United States
17 Dec 06
I feel ya! Thanks for the response.
• United States
17 Dec 06
I feel it is best not to set an age limit in your mind because all children are different you need to assess your daughter and her maturity and go from there. I f you automatically put an age limit on it she may just keep it from you.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Good point, thanks for responding.
@coolcager (496)
• Costa Rica
17 Dec 06
at 18-21 depends who they are dating with. and hope that its a nice or good one.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Thanks for your response! The problem is they hopefully will be going to college at 18 and I'm sure they would date then because no one is there to tell them no.
@gbspew (455)
• Bulgaria
17 Dec 06
I think I'll let my daughter to start dating at the age of 16. Dating is something inevitably and denying it will make things worse.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Very True, Thanks for your response.
@linepau1 (188)
• Canada
17 Dec 06
My best friend has an age restriction of 18. She's still 17 and has honestly had about 5 boyfriends in the 7 years I've known her. Age limites are pointless and very in-effective. Although some children may not go behind the parents back, most will. I started dating my boyfriend when I was 15. He was my first boyfriend, and we're still together, although I wish we hadn't begun dating till I was at least 16 or 17. I am mature for my age, but I wasn't ready for a boyfriend, and I wasn't prepared for the whole idea of kissing and being cute and all that jazz. Just not my thing, and really still isn't. My advice would be not to give her an age, but talk to her and tell her about your own dating experiences. Let them know how it can be hard and what comes with dating a guy, the wrong guy, or a bad guy. If she's attracted to a guy that asks her out... she will date him. Even if it's just a cuddle and a hug or two in school. Although it's stupid to admit, the pressure of our teen peers makes it difficult sometimes to admit we can't date till we're ## years old.
• United States
17 Dec 06
You have a point there! Its good to hear from another perspective other than a parent. You have definately given me something to think about. Thanks for your response.
@abg1988 (340)
• India
16 Dec 06
I feel that after 18 is the correct age to date
• United States
17 Dec 06
Any specific reason you would make them wait until after 18?
@mjgarcia (725)
• United States
16 Dec 06
I have three kids: 16, 11, and 8. The girl is 8. I just allowed my 16 year old boy to have his first date a couple of months ago. My eleven year old already knows he has to wait until 16, but wants a girlfriend now. My 8 year old could care less. But we are using 16 for all of them. My husband wanted 18, but I didn't want them to sneak out to date. Besides, at 18 they can be on their own, at 16 I still have some input on their behaviour. I've had to explain proper ettiquette to my 16 year old already.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Its nice to know that parents set a boundry for the boys on dating too. My girls have already been told 16...I just get really nervous hearing about all these kids at 12 years old becoming parents...its crazy! Thank you for your response.
@Khangura (924)
• Canada
16 Dec 06
i think 16 is a good time but most of time they will date someone and not even tell the parents.. Sadly the parents are the last to find out.
• United States
17 Dec 06
I hope my girls don't do that...they know they can talk to me about anything! You are right though, lots of teens do that. Thanks for the response.
• Philippines
16 Dec 06
18 is the right age to have a date!...its legal and she needs to explore what life really is!...We cant avoid her to have a date coz all of us deserved to experienced it!...
• United States
17 Dec 06
Thanks for your response...I still think I'm going with 16.....like someone else posted, at 18 they can move out at 16 you still have some control and a chance to teach them how to act on a date, etc.
@tomjonz (60)
• United States
16 Dec 06
18 years old is when my daughter started dating we home schooled so it was easier to control the traffic, if you know what I mean.
• United States
17 Dec 06
Did she seem okay with waiting until 18, or did she ever state that she wished she could have dated younger? Thanks for your response.
@babs6219 (153)
• United States
16 Dec 06
My daughter is 14, and next summer when she is 15, she can do "group dates". Like a bunch of kids go the mall, movies, bowling, etc. I know they'll pair off once they're out, but that way I control it...I'd be dropping off and picking up, so I know where she is. She can date when she is sixteen, on a one on one situation, but only on weekends and with a midnight curfew. Good luck!
• United States
17 Dec 06
That doesn't sound like a bad idea..the group dates. I'm definately not going to mention it until they do though. :) Thanks for the response and good luck to you as well.