Thank you for reading and for the feedback, Rob. There’s a very specific reason why there are no concrete guidelines or exact parameters included in this article, and that’s because I don’t really believe in blanket policies. Individuals differ, especially in regard to reaching the ages of maturity and responsibility. I don’t believe that everyone suddenly becomes an expert decision-maker one day after they were 18 and that they were completely incapable two days prior to that. Maturity and reason are not defined by a specific date.

If you read an undertone that signaled to you that I believe that females and males should be treated differently, then I was obviously not clear. My point was precisely that we should _NOT_ treat our daughters differently than our sons. As I stated in some comments before, I have a son and a daughter, and no one was nearly as concerned about how I would feel about my son dating as they were concerned about how I would feel about my daughter dating. The inequality of that _IS_ what I am opposed to.

I believe it is our job as parents to protect our children from those who would do them harm, as well as from themselves when necessary before they reach an age of reason (individually defined). The matter of our obsession with our daughters beginning to date, though, is not entirely about good-natured protection or maturity. There’s something additional to it, and that additional element is sexist and unequal. No one asked me, “What are you going to do when your baby girl grows up and makes a poor career choice?” There’s a reason they ask about sex/dating, and there’s a reason they do it predominantly with females.