First, I am not a big fan of dating before the latter years of high school and even then, rarely does anything positive come from teen romance. Usually (especially for boys) dating results in heartache. So, right from the get go, encourage your daughter to forge healthy friendships with boys. Let her know that the best way to get to know the real-deal is through friendship, not dating. I have seen resurgence in group dating for teens opting for healthy friendships over romance.

Second, make household rules about dating and make them stick for every child in your home. This way, no child feels singled out and when rules apply to everyone in the family, they are more palatable.

Third, girls shouldn’t have a one on one date until they are at leastsixteen. Why?A teenage girl should always be on equal footing psychologically and mentally when she is dating. When teen girls date teen boys, they often look up to them and are vulnerable to wanting to please their dates. Particularly nice, sensitive girls, do things they’d rather not because they don’t want to “hurt” their date’s feelings. An astonishing 40% of 14-18 year old girls have sex they don’t…