Dating: why it's important

To my kids, 

I was looking for some "worldly" view on dating to contrast with some of the things that our church leaders have said and made the mistake of typing "Dating" into Google. Actually, I'm not sure if it was a mistake or if it was the worldly view I was looking for. What I found were multiple ads for online dating sites and an entry for "dating" in Wikipedia. I also tried typing "Successful dating" and pretty much got the same results, along with a few links to articles about successful dating at Match.com and eharmony.com. Have we gone so far that the only way young adults can get dates these days is through a dating site? I certainly hope not!

I did manage to find an article in Psychology Today with tips for dating success (found here) but is that how far we've come? I know that dating in high school is not like it was when I was in school. I'm not sure exactly what changed, but I do know it's different. Somewhere along the way, teenagers got it into their minds that it wasn't okay just to date, you have to DATE. Instead of being simple and fun, it became a huge overdone production. I hope you are able to find friends who are interested in making dating fun and simple again.

We've been counseled by our leaders (recently Elder Oaks) that we need to make a concerted effort to date and not just hang out. Dating gives you the opportunity to get to know someone one-on-one, not just who they are with the group. Take/make the time to find someone you want to date and then do it!

Somebody much smarter than me has compiled a list of 14 dating tips from the prophets and apostles. you can find it here--Dating tips from apostles

Here's another site that includes some dating rules with explanations from church publications. I'm really not sure I agree with everything on this list but it is a good place to start when making dating rules for yourself. And, anything on here you can ask me about...I will give you an honest answer as to my feelings. Dating Rules? 

Here's another blog post that has great dating advice. 10 Old-Fashioned dating habits

Always remember that your Heavenly Father loves you and he wants what's best for you. If you ask, even in dating, he will give you the guidance that you need!

Never forget that your dad and I love you!