If you’re chatty by nature, be sure to give her a chance to speak.Stay involved with your sports team or your after-school clubs. But how you handle the end of a relationship can be just as important as how you handled the beginning. On the other hand, if you do the breaking up, do it respectfully. “It’s a bit colder in a way, but it’s safer for her,” Kalish says.It’s a struggle to know what to say, when to say it, and how to say it.These conversations and decisions only become more challenging when the time comes for your teen to start dating. Pick an activity where you won’t have to talk the entire time, like a movie or a sporting event, Kalish says. “The longer you go,” Kalish says, “the more problems you run into.” It should be a no-brainer to avoid thumbing your smartphone during the date. You miss out on the body language and facial cues that will give you a better idea of how she really feels.

This goes beyond the (hopefully) obvious steps of bathing and using deodorant, which are important. That way you at least get a clue from the tone of her voice.

She's also written a book about sexuality for teens, called Sexual Decisions: The Ultimate Teen Guide.

Gowen says being ready to go out has more to do with your maturity than your age. For one thing, could you tell the person you're dating how far you're willing to take the relationship, and what your sexual boundaries are?

If you’re not ready, it’s cool to stay single and hang out with your close friends. In a healthy relationship, the feelings are mutual. If this doesn’t describe your situation, there’s nothing wrong with you, but you probably do need to keep looking.

Dating Tip 2: Find Someone Who Likes You Back Feelings that aren’t returned can make you question everything about yourself. Dating Tip 3: Know When to Move On Sometimes you have to admit it, the relationship isn’t working.