I Dated at Age 13 and Lived to Tell the Tale!!!
A daytime talk show this morning featured a popular TV actor who is all in a tizzy over the fact that his 15-year-old daughter has begun [gasp!] dating! A discussion ensued about how parents should prepare for this -- what to tell their kids "beyond abstinence, beyond the anatomical details," as one of the hosts put it. Often nowadays I hear earnest conversations about whether 16 is too young to date. Sixteen! Despite my advanced age, I am anything but a "woman of the world." On a classic Facebook meme, I score very low on "Have you ever" type quizzes. My life has been beyond vanilla. It's more like fat-free, sugar-free, imitation vanilla. And yet... I had my first date at age 13. And here I am, unscathed. Here's the complete sordid story! My closest friend at the time was Pam, and she was best known for being "boy-crazy." We haven't spoken in 15 years or so, but last I heard, she still was boy-crazy. But that...