Dating

I'm going to put the subject of this post right into the open. Dating in High school.

You can already hear it. I'm going to say you shouldn't. Well... you shouldn't.

Before you close this window, I'm going to interject and say, I understand perfectly why a teenager would want to start dating. Don't misunderstand me. I'm a teenager too, and I go through the same lonely feelings and sometimes I feel like I want to love seriously as well. After all, lots of other teenagers do it, why can't I? Aren't I as mature, if not, more mature than some of my friends?

Well, be honest with yourself. Would you say that you are more mature now than you were... oh about three years ago? It does wonders to wait to be even more mature before you start to date.

Three years ago, you might have felt bitterly towards someone else for contradicting, or not agreeing with you, possibly dissing you and your opinion. However, today, you might ponder deeper if a person did that to you. Is she having problems with something? At home? With other friends? Is she going through a hard time? We become wiser and more sensitive and sensible with time.

Over the next three years, what is the probability that you will gain even more understanding and ability to handle situations? What is the possibility of you gaining even more control over your emotions? You might have great control over your emotions now, compared to you going into desperation and hopelessness at the breaking of a friendship when you were twelve. (Not that you would be unaffected by your friend's departure now, but you would now probably try to patch things up sensibly and confront the problem trying to resolve it, thus strengthening understanding and relationship.) So you would probably gain even more control over your emotions in another few years time.

Don't we learn from our mistakes? From experience? Yes and no. We do, but do we humans really really have to learn everything the hard way? Truly, the younger you are, the more impact it will make in your future. It affects our society, how we think of a relationship, a marriage. You can gain so much more if you had a little patience!

I'm not saying its easy. No one wants to feel like they're the only one who doesn't have a partner. But keeping it at friendship isn't that hard is it? Getting to know each other better, seeing the worst and best sides of each other. Loving each other as friends. You can have just as much fun with friends, and friendships do last longer, and hold stronger.

Wait a little longer. Its worth it.