I believe the ideal age for dating is between fifteen and sixteen. At that age people have generally had a little time to mature and are better able to decide what they are looking for in a partner. I wasn't allowed to date until I was sixteen, although I did have a couple of "boyfriends" before that point. I consider the relationships I had in my younger teen years to be more "flings" than solid relationships. I don't feel I had a mature relationship until I was eighteen and met a boy during freshman year of college. While that relationship didn't last I still consider it to be my first "real" relationship.

I'm twenty-five now and my view on relationships is a lot different than when I was younger. For one, my entire relationship paradigm is a lot different (I practice polyamory, whereas when I was younger I practiced monogamy). I'm more mature now and it makes relationships a lot easier. I have personal goals that I actively work towards achieving and I pick relationships that complement those goals. I know what qualities I want in a partner and so I only accept partners with those qualities, as opposed to when I was younger I was so eager to be "in love" that I got into a relationship with the first person I felt any semblance of attraction towards. I'm also much better able to handle conflict in relationships. When I was younger I made very self-destructive choices. Now I'm much better at talking through things with my partner in a calm, reasonable way.

In short, I think the nature of relationships changes a lot throughout life. The relationship I am in now, I feel, is the one I will be in the rest of my life. I wouldn't have been able to say that about a relationship even a couple of years ago. I look forward to how I continue to grow as a person when it comes to love and relationships.