When My daughter, Angela, was 11, she asked me if she could "go out" with Joel, a cute boy from her school. I asked what "going out" entailed in 7th grade, which wasn't much. I told her I didn't think she was ready, but I did trust her judgement. The next day she had her first boyfriend, he asked her at lunch and gave her a cute little heart necklace. The day after that I was called to pick her up at lunch because she had a stomachache and a headache. At three, I had to go back to get the kids for carpool, and she let me know on the way there that she had broken up with Joel, 24 hours after they initiated their romance, and that he cried and that was the real reason she came home. She had asked her friend to let him know she wanted to break up with him by essentially saying, "Angela doesn't like you anymore!" He cried....... I felt terrible, so she and I had a conversation about treating people with respect and kindness. I asked if he was mean to her, she said, no, he was very sweet actually and had wanted her to keep the necklace, so I let her arrive at the conclusion that possibly she was not ready to date just yet, and that it was okay to be in that place at such a young age. Then I had her call him and let him know that he was a really nice boyfriend, she just wasn't really ready for that, and they have been best friends ever since and just graduated from high school together this year. I also asked her questions when she was younger about what her beliefs were about dating and sex. For example, how long should you know someone before you date? How long should you date before you kiss, make out, have sex etc.? Do you think you should wait to be married. I was suprised at how brilliant her answers were. I thought her own limits and morality would be a better guildeline than my feelings and they were and have been. She has been very thoughtful and responsible in all her choices so far and has grown into a wonderful, loving young woman!!