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Talk with your parents before you begin dating.

* Out of respect for your parents and yourself you should always let them know: where you are going, a phone number where you can be reached, who you are going out with, what you will be doing and when you will return.

* Make it a point to be home by curfew.

* Make sure your date does not get home late.

* If you run into trouble and you are going to be late, call and let both sets of parents know.

* Show respect to your date.

* If you are a guy, go to the door to pick up your date and make it a point to meet her family.

* Avoid risky situations where things might happen that you will regret later.

* If you are a girl, make sure you have an emergency plan in place in case your date becomes forceful or violent. The "It won't happen to me," plan is not good enough.

* Consider group dating - the whole point of dating is learning how to develop growing friendships - not about getting sexually involved.

* Don't mistake raging hormones for love. They are two entirely different things.

* What messages do the clothes you are or are not wearing send to your date? Seductive is out, modesty is in.

* Don't date anyone significantly older or younger than yourself. A sixteen-year-old should not be dating a fourteen-year-old. A nineteen-year-old should not be dating a sixteen year old.

Guidelines for Successful Dating

So many people ask me questions about dating that I thought I’d share some guidelines, do’s and don’t’s with you; to help you make dating fun, safe and successful. No matter how times change, what works in relationships remains surprisingly the same. Everyone seems to be in a hurry today, but if you rush into a relationship, you’ll create big problems for yourself. Starting off on the right note will make many things easier later.

Good Behavior 

Although behaving badly seems to be a trend in movies and TV these days, rude and irresponsible behavior is deadly to...