Found this article while searching the net regarding the topic on BGR. From www.crossroad.com:

Am I Too Young to Date?
Christy Shipe
Ask the Expert for Girls

Q. How young is too young to date? I'm 13 and I've had boyfriends, but never gone out on a date. Am I too young? When is the right age? Please help! -- Boy Crazed

A. There's no magical age when dating suddenly becomes the right thing to do. It depends on how mature you are, what stage of life you are in, what you believe about marriage, and what your parents say.

First of all, if you parents have said, "No dating until you're 16," then you need to obey that rule. Even though the Bible doesn't specifically say when it's OK to date or marry, God clearly gives your parents the authority to guide you to make right decisions. So if your parents have a rule about dating, then you need to obey that rule.

If your parents don't really have an opinion on the subject, then I'm happy to share my opinion with you. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and not a command of God. I work hard to base all of my advice on biblical principles, but you should also study the Bible and pray on your own to help you make this kind of decision.

Why date?
Ask yourself this question: Why do I want to date? You probably are interested in dating for one or more of the following reasons:
· You like a certain guy and want to get to know him
· You want to have fun with guys
· You're curious about guys and dating
· You're lonely and crave companionship
· You're interested in having a physical relationship
· You want to have a guy all to yourself, so no other girls can date him
· You want the status of having a boyfriend to be admired by your peers.

Selfish Reasons
It's probably easy to see that wanting to have a guy all to yourself or wanting the status of a boyfriend are selfish reasons to date. You're more interested in your reputation than you are even interested in the guy. You're more interested in winning his affections and defeating all of the other girls who want him than you are in really being his friend.

It's also unhealthy to start dating because you're interested in a physical relationship. Any girl who's gone too far physically before marriage will tell you that the guilt, pain, and heartache are not at all worth it.

Even loneliness can be a bad reason to start dating. If you're looking for a dating relationship to solve your deep needs for love and friendship, you will probably be disappointed. And looking for a guy to meet your needs can be a form of selfishness as well.

Reasons for friendship
It's perfectly normal to like guys, to be curious about them, and to want to get to know them and have fun with them. But these are all reasons to be friends, not necessarily reasons to date. You can get to know a guy by being friends with him. You can even have a lot of fun as friends! I think friendship has all the benefits of dating without any of the negative consequences.

Reasons for romance
The only biblical reason I can think of for having a boyfriend, or for having a romantic relationship, is to get married. Look through the Bible and see if you can find anyone who had a godly romantic relationship "just to have fun" or "just to get to know each other." The examples in the Bible are all related to marriage.

God's plan is for romance to lead to marriage. So to answer your question point blank: You are too young to be in a romantic relationship if you are too young to get married. But you're never too young to be friends with guys. Focus on friendship while you are in your teens, and wait until you are ready to get serious before entering into a romantic relationship.

Some of you may strongly agree or strongly disagree with my opinion. I'd love to hear from you either way! Feel free to share your reactions about when it's OK to start a romantic relationship.

God Bless!
Uncle Ray

Found this article while searching the net regarding the topic on BGR. From www.crossroad.com:

Am I Too Young to Date?
Christy Shipe
Ask the Expert for Girls

Q. How young is too young to date? I'm 13 and I've had boyfriends, but never gone out on a date. Am I too young? When is the right age? Please help! -- Boy Crazed

A. There's no magical age when dating suddenly becomes the right thing to do. It depends on how mature you are, what stage of life you are in, what you believe about marriage, and what your parents say.

First of all, if you parents have said, "No dating until you're 16," then you need to obey that rule. Even though the Bible doesn't specifically say when it's OK to date or marry, God clearly gives your parents the authority to guide you to make right decisions. So if your parents have a rule about dating, then you need to obey that rule.

If your parents don't really have an opinion on the subject, then I'm happy to share my opinion with you. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and not a command of God. I work hard to base all of my advice on biblical principles, but you should also study the Bible and pray on your own to help you make this kind of decision.

Why date?
Ask yourself this question: Why do I want to date? You probably are interested in dating for one or more of the following reasons:
· You like a certain guy and want to get to know him
· You want to have fun with guys
· You're curious about guys and dating
· You're lonely and crave companionship
· You're interested in having a physical relationship
· You want to have a guy all to yourself, so no other girls can date him
· You want the status of having a boyfriend to be admired by your peers.

Selfish Reasons
It's probably easy to see that wanting to have a guy all to yourself or wanting the status of a boyfriend are selfish reasons to date. You're more interested in your reputation than you are even interested in the guy. You're more interested in winning his affections and defeating all of the other girls who want him than you are in really being his friend.

It's also unhealthy to start dating because you're interested in a physical relationship. Any girl who's gone too far physically before marriage will tell you that the guilt, pain, and heartache are not at all worth it.

Even loneliness can be a bad reason to start dating. If you're looking for a dating relationship to solve your deep needs for love and friendship, you will probably be disappointed. And looking for a guy to meet your needs can be a form of selfishness as well.

Reasons for friendship
It's perfectly normal to like guys, to be curious about them, and to want to get to know them and have fun with them. But these are all reasons to be friends, not necessarily reasons to date. You can get to know a guy by being friends with him. You can even have a lot of fun as friends! I think friendship has all the benefits of dating without any of the negative consequences.

Reasons for romance
The only biblical reason I can think of for having a boyfriend, or for having a romantic relationship, is to get married. Look through the Bible and see if you can find anyone who had a godly romantic relationship "just to have fun" or "just to get to know each other." The examples in the Bible are all related to marriage.

God's plan is for romance to lead to marriage. So to answer your question point blank: You are too young to be in a romantic relationship if you are too young to get married. But you're never too young to be friends with guys. Focus on friendship while you are in your teens, and wait until you are ready to get serious before entering into a romantic relationship.

Some of you may strongly agree or strongly disagree with my opinion. I'd love to hear from you either way! Feel free to share your reactions about when it's OK to start a romantic relationship.

God Bless!
Uncle Ray