Teens Talk About Rihanna and Chris Brown

Teens share dating advice and reflect upon the about Rihanna and Chris Brown. Recently Chris Brown was asked about hitting Rihanna when they dated and he reacted violently at the TV station.

Watch our advisors react when the story first broke.

What if Your Parents Won’t Let You Date?

We have alot of teens asking as what to do if your parents won’t let you date.  Our team had a few suggestions to share.  For example, one girl told us she isn’t allowed to date until she’s 16 (which is another 2 years)!  She’s not sure if she gets asked out if she should say no, or how to do it if she does.   Here’s some thing to think about for those of you trying to figure out what to do about your dating dilemma.

#1 When I was younger, I was worried about dating because of my parents too. Try talking to your parents about it. Set some guidelines. Ask if you’re allowed to have a date to a dance. Or if just hanging out with a guy friend and some other people counts as “dating”. Think of what you want to ask them before you bring it up, that way you can figure everything out in one conversation. It’s better to have talked about it with them so you know what you can and cannot do, rather than going behind their back. If a guy asks you out and you would like to say yes, just simply tell him that you would really love to go, but that your parents are strict about dating. Also, ask your parents what they would want you to say in that situation. Most important is that you don’t lie to your parents or go behind their back for the guy. If he really does like you, then he’ll understand that you’re just following your parents wishes and will still want to be friends. You never know, maybe he’ll be the first to ask you out when you turn 16!

#2 I would first ask your parents what exactly do they mean. Some parents mean you can’t go out alone with a guy on dates, but you can have a boyfriend and hang out at school or go out with groups of friends. So first figure out what they are ok with and what they aren’t ok with. Try to remember that your parents always want what is best for you, even when it’s not exactly what you want. But if you do have to say no to someone who ask you out, just answer how you are comfortable with. You can always say something like “I’m sorry, but my parents don’t want me to date until I’m 16 and I respect that” or “I like you, but I’m just not ready for a relationship yet” Just remember it’s only two years, so if you can’t date just enjoy the time you have with your friends. Have fun with them and it will fly by!

If guys start to ask- that’s just the beginning of it all. This means you’ll continue to be asked out so don’t worry about a shortage. But when a guy does ask, make sure to respect your parents wishes. Tell the guy that you’d love to be friends and maybe you can try it in a few years. That way, when you turn 16, you’ll have some guys to choose from and some great lasting friendships.

Dating Advice: Don’t Get Sidetracked

Being a single girl, I have noticed a lot of my friends have really controlling boyfriends. I guess its just because teen aged guys are a little over protective and insecure. But honestly, what fun is it to have someone constantly telling you what you can and cannot do? Isn’t that what parents are for?

I’v definitely wittnessed verbal abuse in my friends relationships. I know being a teenager profanity is popular, but if a boy can talk to you with that much disrespect when your young, I promise you it’s not going to get better further into your relationship.

If you have to change a boy to be in a relationship with him, it isn’t worth it. Just wait and find someone who has the main qualities  your looking for. And always remeber, if your upset more than your happy, it isn’t worth it.

Just make sure you don’t get your hopes up about a relationship. At this age it more than likely will not last too long. As you both change  and grow, you’ll eventually change and grow away from eachother. Fifteen years down the road, the boy you dated when you were a sophomore in highschool won’t matter too much anymore. Stay focussed on YOUR goals, don’t get sidetracked by the little things that may seem so important in a teenagers life at the moment.

Dating Advice for Teens: Be Yourself First

Every girl struggles to find the right guy, create a great relationship, and to stay true to herself.  Girls from our team sat down to talk about how be yourself first before getting the guy.  Find out what they had to say!  If have other questions for our teen advice team, please send them to info@girlswithdreams.com

Don’t Base Your Life on Relationships

I see it all the time. If someone’s not in a relationship, they make it their number one goal to be in one. They do this because they think they need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy. I hope I don’t have to tell you this, but that is not true! There are so many more things in life to be happy about; friends, family, hobbies, pets, school(if that’s your thing!), and so much more.

Now, I’m not saying it’s bad to be in a relationship. If it’s a good one, then relationships can be so much fun. But, what I am saying is not to make it a top priority if you’re not in one. You might think you’re not cool or not wanted if you don’t have a boyfriend. I can speak for myself and say that I have felt that before. It took me a long time to realize that if I stopped focusing on that and focused more on other things, like friends, jobs, and being successful, then the relationship part of life just kind of happens on its own.

So this one is short and sweet. I say this all the time on here, but I’ll say it again. You don’t need a guy to make you happy! When you look back on being young, would you rather remember all the good times with friends(maybe some that turned into lifetime friends), or just try and remember who you were dating in which grade? I’m gonna go with the first one. I hope you do too.

Dating Tips: How to Enforce Your Boundaries

When you start school this year you might end up meeting someone and start dating. No matter how old you are we all come across the problem of not knowing where to enforce the boundaries when it comes to dating. When is it all right to have the first kiss? When is it all right to go all the way?

We all ask ourselves these questions and a lot of us look to our friends for the answer but the truth is we are the only people that can make these choices for our selves. We know what is best for us. If my best friend is ready to have sex that doesn’t mean I am ready to. This school year make your own choices when it comes to enforcing boundaries.  Make sure you have the right information.  If you’re not comfortable talking to your parents, seek out some of the books we’ve talked about on our website like the Body Scoop for Girls or Secrets Girls Keep. 

In the end, don’t be afraid to enforce your boundaries, don’t let your boyfriend talk you into something you are not ready for. Be strong and stick up for what you think is right. Talk to your boyfriend and make sure you two are on the same page. Enforce boundaries and don’t do anything you don’t want to.

Back to School Blitz: Dating Tips

New year of school equals new boys… sometimes old ones.

I’m about to head off to college, and I know I’ll be meeting a lot of new friends. This summer has made me realize that you have to be careful about who you trust. Not everybody is who they seem or who they act like.

You have to find out about a guy before anything serious. This won’t necessarily happen to everybody but It’s something to look out for… something I’ve noticed lately is when the upperclassmen boys get interested in younger girls during the new school year.

I’m not saying every guy is a bad guy, but I hope all girls take the time to get to know someone they’re talking to or trying to date. It’s worth the effort.

On another note, I’ve learned from experience… you can’t always give everybody the benefit of the doubt. If a guy is treating you badly, don’t stick around.

Every girl can be confident and independent. There’s much more to life than only dating.

Dating is a plus, but please understand that you have your whole life ahead of you. Keep fighting for your dreams and be successful.

Back to School Blitz: Dating Tips for Middle School

Everyone starts dating at a certain age, some don’t want a boyfriend till they are 16 or 18 and some try to find a guy at 12. Everyone is different so if you are in the 8th grade and have never had a boyfriend… THAT IS OK! There is nothing wrong with that. I think girls all the time make it seem like it’s bad but it’s not, it’s totally fine.

Most important, stay true to yourself.  Too many girls who don’t have a boyfriend try to be someone they are not by trying to be the girl that they think boys will like.  This helps no one.  If you can surround yourself with good friends and stay involved with activities that make you feel good, you’ll eventually find the right guy!

Find whatever you are comfortable with and go from there, just don’t do something because everyone else is.

Dating Advice for Freshman Teens: How to Deal With Older Guys

Our team has one major piece of back to school dating advice for freshman. Watch out for older guys. For the full scoop on what they think you need to know check out their tips in this video.

Take a Stand!

I have noticed lately that a lot of my friends are having trouble with their boyfriends. Either rumors are spreading about the guy liking another girl or they’re constantly arguing. I’m not sure about what others think, but these don’t sound like healthy relationships.

If your boyfriend treats you badly or the two of you are always fighting, maybe you should take a break and try something new. Who knows? Maybe the two of you will appreciate each other more. Maybe you’ll decide that it’s best to move on. All I  know is that no girl should get themselves stuck in a relationship that doesn’t make them happy. If you feel like it’s time to move on, be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to take a stand.

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