Dating Advice for Teens: How To Enforce Your Boundaries

We’ve all heard this speech a million times, whether it was from your parents, your teachers, or your grandparents, but I can’t stress it enough. You know your boundaries. Don’t be afraid to enforce them. We can all say “I’d NEVER do that!”, but when it comes down to the wire, a lot of girls are scared to say “no”.

If you haven’t been in this situation yet, chances are you will be eventually. It’s not like in the 1950’s movies when the guy says “If you loved me, you’d have sex with me!” or “Come on, everyone’s doing it!” It’s way different these days. There’s pressure to be sexually active from everywhere: movies, magazines, other girls that make it look cool, shallow guys, and pretty much everything else.

Don’t let all those strings pull you away from who you really are! You know what you’re comfortable with when it comes to being sexually active. If a guy starts doing something you’re not comfortable with, tell him to stop. If you think he’ll stop talking to you for telling him no, then he’s not worth talking to in the first place!

Be honest and clear about your boundaries with a guy before things do get that far. But, if it still doesn’t help, use these tips to tell him NO:

• Talk about it before you get into the heat of the moment. It’s a lot easier on both of you this way.
• Don’t feel like you have to give him a reason. No is enough. You don’t have to explain why you feel the way you do. A no is a NO!
• There are a lot of risks that come up with sex that are easy to forget like STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and pregnancy. This isn’t something to take lightly.
• If he still doesn’t stop after you’ve clearly said no, LEAVE. If you don’t have a way home, call a friend or trusted adult to come get you. It’s better to wait for a ride at a Wal-Mart than to be forced into something you don’t want to do, for your own good reasons.
• Again, if you think that he’ll stop talking to you for telling him no, then he’s not worth talking to in the first place! This isn’t a time to be worrying about your reputation.
• Lastly, don’t give in! No matter how persistent he is, don’t give in to his reasons. We all know some guys just have that charm you think you can’t resist, but trust me, you can!