Excellent Cody! I printed this one to MAKE SURE my girls (who aren’t at dating age yet but…..) they still need to see and KNOW that their parents aren’t CRAZY !

I sure do wish you were still a constant role model in their lives!

Ron Luce (Acquire the Fire) recently wrote the best book I think I have read in a long time called Re-Create and He teaches about this very subject. How we as parents raising our kids in this culture today NEED echoes from others like yourself so their words and actions become “echos” of your own.

This way when my kids sees or hears or reads in this case something that we drill into their head as our value system then all of a sudden it becomes more real to them because they see it active and alive in someone’s life like yourself who they admire and respect.

Again, thank you Cody! You are changing the world around you. Read that book Re-Create if you haven’t already! It’s not just for parents raising kids, its about starting a revolution in the lives of young people in churches, homes, communities. It’s about building a culture in the home, church or community (lives of the young people) stronger than the culture deceiving the kids!

Am I the only one that catches the sarcasm here?

I think the OP is highlighting the cultural irrelevance of the way we go about interacting with each other. To say that “tweens” shouldn’t date is absurd. We can’t expect to protect the younger generation from experiencing pain and struggles in the realm of “dating.”

I did the awkward Christianese version of dating in college, and I feel like it was not a true representation of who or what I was as a believer. I was following a bunch of man made rules to conform to an irrelevant subculture surrounding me. It was more of a survival move than an actual attempt at getting to know someone.

as a Christian girl, the statements you’ve said in here, i found to be quite humorous. especially the whole , learning guitar. my boyfriend is studying to be a worship leader, so that statement couldn’t be anymore true.

very well done.
i look forward to reading more from you!

Brittney.

Carey Ann, Nick, and Ray, I’m not one to try and agree with everyone to make everyone happy, but on this subject I find points that I actually do agree with you all on. Here’s my take on it.
Should teens date? I don’t think that there is a definite, concrete yes or no for everyone. I don’t believe that truth is relative, but I DO believe that people mature at different rates. Growing up in a Christian high school I actually did have friends that didn’t date. Ever. I personally did date in high school, and I probably dated to young just like most of my friends. Do I regret it? No, of course not. I was taught to learn from my mistakes, and while I did not learn from them at the time or even in high school, I can look back now and see what I did wrong. Can we literally STOP tweens and teens from dating? There’s a good chance that we can’t. We may think we can, and we may think that are children are perfect, but I know the girls and guys that “weren’t allowed” to date. Did their parents think they had succeeded in stopping them from dating? You betcha! Were there parents sadly mistaken? Most of the time. I’ve found that the only way, and the best way in my opinion to make sure that your children are safe and focusing on the right things, is to instill in them good decision making skills. I don’t just mean skills like knowing where to draw the line with their sexual purity or how not to date a dirtbag, but decision making skills like do I really need to date? If your teen can understand that they don’t necessarily need someone, some person in their lives to “complete” them, then you’re set. The kids in high school that didn’t date, because of the decisions that they made themselves were far better off then the kids that didn’t date because they weren’t allowed to. Who’s parents do you think trusted their kids more as they got older? I do agree that kids that are 13 years old should not be going on single dates, that’s almost absurd. Another thing, is maybe limiting where they can go on dates. Movie theaters are probably not a good idea for your 16 or 17 year old to go on a date. However, if your teen can make that decision on their own then they are FAR better off than if you force it upon them. They are FAR more likely to be great decision makers! A good way to get kids realizing this stuff, is to teach it to them BEFORE they get to that age. Now, you are probably wasting your breath teaching your kindergartener about sexual purity, but I personally believe that teaching your 12 or 13 year old about it is wise beyond measure. Parents now may not realize it, but kids are being bombarded by sex and dating pressure even at that age. Parents may also think they the kids won’t understand or that they may corrupt them by talking about these things, but trust me, there’s a good chance they already know, long before you even realize it. So then is teen dating always bad? Absolutely Not! In fact, my RA at Liberty has been dating his fiance for 6 years, he’s 21 now (maybe 22) so needless to say they started dating as teens. They’re happily engaged and getting married in the spring! So I guess the final question is, will I allow my teens to date? Well, I will raise my children to understand their priorities in life and that Christ is their number one priority. I will teach them the pressures of dating and sex, and I will teach them the biblical view of sex and sexual purity. I believe that if I train my children the right way then God will keep His promise and keep them that way. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Hey Britney, thanks for reading and I’m glad you liked it! If you want to read more, just make sure to subscribe and you’ll get an email whenever there’s a new post!

Ray, I can easily see where you’re going with that. I guess that again goes back to making sure they understand that they don’t need someone else to “complete” them. I hate when I see that happen!

Thanks, This is great & just what i’ve been looking for. Thanks alot…

Gerard, you’re so smooth I don’t even think you’ll need to do that, BUT yes, yes it will. The guitar thing is fail proof. Works every time

This is GREAT. LOL.

Agreed also with the whole teens (or anyone) needs someone to be complete. I look at it this way. God can feel two voids. His void and the relationship void. A girl can only feel one of those. Why settle?

Evan, thanks for the comment man, and you’re right, chivalry is not dead my friend! Thanks so much for posting this because people can read this and learn from your experience as well!

I haven’t read all the comments, so if no one else has mentioned this, definietly include “thou shalt meet and respect the parents.” I don’t know about other girls, but for me, if there’s one guy who’s trying to be all smooth and charming talking to me, he’s not going to impress as much as the guy who has the confidence to introduce himself to my mom.

But, yes, you’re right on with the acoustic guitar thing.

Check out my blog at http://www.cip31.wordpress.com

You added me on twitter, so I thought I’d check out your site.

This is pretty funny, a little true and VERY Liberty-esque.

Funniest one: “Bible Space” Enough room for Jesus.
That was straight comedy.

Um…This IS a joke, isn’t it??

Oh thank God LOL, I was worried there for a minute. Didn’t notice the disclaimer, *slaps forehead.*

Haha I’m glad you and your roommate liked it you must go to a Christian college where this is all sooo typical

Cody, this is ridiculously funny. Your sarcasm on some of these are brilliant. I would like to say that I agree with you on your comments about teen dating. teach a child discernment and they will know what to do when they get older. They will always remember what, as a parent, one says to them. They will learn to take into account what it is God wants for them.