Dating 101

One of the greatest blessings of marriage is the gift of children. Many books have been written about the raising of children - especially in a Christian home. A plethora of information can be found concerning younger kids. My thoughts at the moment (warning: subject to change without notice!) are along the lines of teens and dating, since that's where our family is presently.

As a teacher, I've noticed that the entrance into the dating scene seems to include younger children than my generation (long, long ago). Students often "go out" in upper elementary years. Thankfully, the term "go out" doesn't seem to involve actually going anywhere; rather, it appears to be an announcement of sorts, that the two are a couple.

This custom surprised me considerably. I hadn't thought that we would be dealing with such matters with our child before junior high. It's no wonder that by the time a lot of the tweens reach the 8th grade, they've been dating for awhile. We wanted our son to develop healthy friendships with both sexes and to save dating for a later time.

It was by accident that I stumbled across a book that has proven to be quite a little treasure. Going Out, Getting Dumped, and Playing Mini Golf on the First Date by Tim Pauls is a book to be read by kids and parents alike. As the title indicates, the text is not forced, nor is it a list of dos and don'ts for teens who are dating. Instead, it beautifully sets out what dating actually is, looking at it from a Christian viewpoint, with emphasis on the relationships that we develop as children of God. I highly recommend it...it has provided a lot of starting points for discussions in our family.

More on dating next time.
Cristiana