How do I WAIT?

The best things in life are worth waiting for!  But how do you wait living in a society where everything is so readily available?  Want to know the answer to something? Google it on your smart phone!  Want the latest smart phone, clothing or shoes? Just go online and have it shipped to your house within two days!  Having patience in a microwave society can be challenging.  However, with a plan, accountability, boundaries and refusal skills it is possible to wait to engage in sexual activity and enjoy your dating years!!

Have a Plan:

An important part of a date is preparation!  Plan unique activities that will be fun and help you get to really know one another! (see iDate) Teens all agree that having a plan communicates more value than just saying, "Hey, do you want to hang out?"

Accountability:

Find a trusted and reliable accountability partner who will check in with you periodically to make sure that you are dating within your established boundaries and expectations.

Boundaries:

Boundaries are an important part of healthy relationships.  Establish boundaries BEFORE dating and communicate them to your date.  If your date doesn't respect your boundaries, find someone who will!

Refusal Skills:

Refusal skills empower you to say "NO" to unwanted sexual advances and other risky behaviors such as drugs and alcohol. You need to know and practice these BEFORE you get into an uncomfortable situation.

Documents:

NICE way to Say NO(PDF, 269KB)
Practical Boundaries Handout_2011(PDF, 321KB)