What age do you think a girl should be allowed to start dating?

12 h*ll no, no way. 14, well I'd have to see what my husband feels about it, but maybe a group date with parents picking up and dropping off. Real date? Not before 16, I'd say. And dang it, I need to start thinking about these things pretty soon. My oldest turns 12 next week. No interest in boys so far (crossing fingers that it will last until she's 27 or so lol).

i'm from the philippines and you may call me old fashioned, but i actually do not even allow my children to go malling with friends unless i drive them there and i am actually malling there yoo myself...my daughter is 14 and my son is 12...i go with them to the mall, i do not hang out with them, i either shop or watch a movie...just so i am there in case they need me...they do not have a problem with this, they even like the idea, sometimes i even treat their friends for a snack too...so to answer your question, i dont think i will allow my kids to date until they're about 18 or so...group dating, maybe 16...but then again, i really dont know...it depends with where they're going and who they're with really....

12 is definitely way too young to be dating for boys and girls. I let my boys have a girlfriend at the age of 14. Now that my youngest boy is 14, I look at his girlfriend and am wondering if they are too young too. My older boys really never had one girlfriend. They would go on 'dates' as a group. Some of the kids had girlfriends, others didn't. I keep telling my 8 yr old daughter that she will be allowed to date when she is 16~ right there is my double standard.

wow 12 is way to young to date however it is ok to have friends and enjoy events such as movies etc .. for dating and all it implies I would suggest maybe 16 to 18 depending on their personal maturity levels however when my daughter was a baby i used to tell her she could date when she was 30 :))

In India dating as a concept has not been there as we have had arranged marriages through the ages. Slowly it is beginning to take roots specially in teh metros, but there is nothing like dating. Boys and girls who decide to meet do so without the knowledge of their parents mostly. parentsw come into the picture much later when they decide to get married or someone informs them about the clandesitne meetings. Parents don't take dating too kindly as they want their children to get married to someone in their own community and own caste and religion. There are too many castes within the religions and wuthin the caste too there is something known and "gotra". That is the family lineage. The boy and girl should not be of the same lineage. The customs traditions and life style in each caste are different and vary from region to region. You may find no one of your religion and caste in the immediate neighbourhood or probably your locality so hwo do you date? Parents do not want yo to get involved with people of another religion or of anothr caste. That is the reason for arranged marriages continuing to be popular.

Yes, we all know girl mature faster then boy in general but as a father I will not let my daughter go out for dates before she pass her sweet seventeen but still under strict condition. I know, maybe I'm to protective but I want my daughter to have brighter future, to become some one who could stand on her own feed and afraid if she go out for a dates to young, without knowing her own responsibility, he may doing something foolish that could shattered her own future. Since I will not be around forever to watch over her, when that time come she will be ready to stood still against any challenges ahead. BR