Dating Thoughts From 11-Year-Old Me

I used to write every journal entry as a letter to God. And apparently, at 11, I spent considerable amounts of time trying to make sense of romance.

And yes, I set my own dating rules. I actually remember telling my parents I didn't want to date until I was 16. I think something was wrong with me.

I was the oldest 11-year-old EVER.

God,

You know about everything in my life at home and at school. You've also seen what the Gr. 7 girls do all recess. Hug their "so-called" boyfriends. I think it's awful. They don't even know the guy very much, but if they think he's cute and he likes her, SNAP, they're so close you have to pry them away from each other.

I'm not even going to think about dating before I'm sixteen. I want to have a longer childhood, stay away from the pressures of being a virgin, and when I start dating, I'm sure I'll be ready for the pressures and stand strong because I have you. Please help me stay away from the world's view of dating and sex.

~Journal: Nadine, 11 years old

I love that I wrote "SNAP." I was cooler than I thought.

If I ever have a daughter, I hope she's a bit like the young me: a thoughtful, nerdy, boy-free journaler. (But I hope she doesn't wear tapered royal-blue corduroy pants with a pink-and-purple Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. Or threaten to divorce her brothers.)