Make the Choice: Dating

By Matthew D. Flitton

Church Magazines

Once you turn 16, group dating is a great way to build friendships. You’ll want to keep in mind a few things. Follow the example below to see what outcomes your decisions may have.

Start

1. You worked up the nerve to ask someone out. Great job. Your date asks, “Who else is coming?” You answer:

   1. John and Suzy. (Go to #2.)

   2. No one. (Go to #3.)

2. Good answer. Group dating is important in your teenage years. What do you have planned for the date?

   1. Go to a movie. (Go to #4.)

   2. Go on a hike. (Go to #5.)

3. It’s time to rethink this one (see For the Strength of Youth [2011], 4). Your date says she won’t go without a group. What do you do?

   1. Make it a group date instead. (Go to #2.)

   2. Stay home.

4. A nice idea, but maybe not the best option. You enjoyed the show, but you sat next to each other for two hours without saying a word. What do you do next?

   1. Go home; you’re tired. (Go to #6.)

   2. Make a dessert. (Go to #7.)

5. Sounds fun! And it will give you lots of opportunities to get to know one another. Did you tell your date what the plan is?

   1. Of course! (Go to #8.)

   2. Whoops! (Go to #9.)

6. You take your date home, and she thanks you for the nice time. It’s too bad you didn’t really get to know her better instead of just watching a movie.

7. The group gets ice cream at someone’s home. The dessert is good, and you enjoy talking with everyone. It’s almost curfew. What do you do?

   1. Take your date home. (Go to #10.)

   2. Stay a little longer—you’re having fun. (Go to #11.)

8. You enjoyed the hike and really got to know everyone in the group. What now?

   1. Make a dessert. (Go to #7.)

   2. Take your date home. (Go to #10.)

9. Your date wasn’t prepared for hiking, so you wait inside the door for a few minutes while she changes. You’re a little late in meeting up with the group, so the hike ends up shorter than you’d planned, but it’s still fun. What now?

   1. Make a dessert. (Go to #7.)

   2. Take your date home. (Go to #10.)

10. Your date says she had a great time, thanks you for the evening, and says, “We should do that again sometime!” You smile all the way home.

11. When you return home after curfew, you and your date both get grounded. Even though you had fun, your date’s dad won’t let you go out again.

Your Guide to Successful Dating

• A date is a planned activity that allows a young man and a young woman to get to know each other better.

• You should not date until you are at least 16 years old.

• When you begin dating, go with one or more additional couples.

• Avoid going on frequent dates with the same person.

• Plan dating activities that are safe, positive, and inexpensive and that will help you get to know each other.

• Go only to places where you can maintain your standards and remain close to the Spirit.

• Always be kind and respectful when you ask for a date or when you accept or decline one.

• While on a date, be courteous as you listen to others and express your own feelings.

From For the Strength of Youth (2011), 4–5.

More on Dating

For more, visit lds.org/go/52E and read the New Era special issue on dating at lds.org/go/52F.

Photographs © iStock/pink_cotton_candy, adventtr, unalozmen, Nastco, Wragg, and Media Services; illustration © iStock/sadora