What's The Right Age To Start Dating?

When I hear girls and boys still on their training wheels professing their undying love, I can't help but giggle.

All the same, this innocent and pure young love is more real than much of what counts as 'dating' these days.

Dating has evolved to become something akin to a status symbol; a marker of sexual competency, and of power and influence. Once, dating may have been more personal, more intimate; a period during which one lover would court the other; a happy and enjoyable time during which two individuals could share their interests and deepen their friendship into love.

These days, with dating columns advising pre-pubescent teens on how to play 'hard-to-get' and with pop media revolving around celebrity love-lives, there has never been more pressure placed on younger and older generations alike to find and show off their latest catch.

High school students date not for the relationship's sake, but for the sake of dating itself; for the popularity it brings, for the image it lends and for the sake of fitting in. Adults start online dating for fear of becoming 'too old' thanks to the negative connotations of the phrase '40-year old virgin'.

Dating during high school can be the cause of much stress and anxiety, with the relationship often interfering with studies and friendships. At the same time, a genuine relationship which isn't the for the sake of show can provide warmth and comfort in an otherwise demanding world.

When should people start dating? Who knows? There is no right answer. All that matters is that it takes place at a time that feels comfortable. Relationships should be allowed to develop without the pressures of modern society. Relationships are unique, individual partnerships to be treasured, and not status symbols; not tools used to fit in. The building of a relationship - dating, in other words - should therefore be left to start whenever it feels most natural.

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