Dating

Alright. So I have a question for ya. Please comment.
If your parents say "Don't date until you're 16" what counts as "dating"?
So many people have different ideas of what "going out" means. To some, when you see people holding hands and just liking each other, THAT'S dating. But others think of it as actually GOING OUT to a movie or dinner or something like unto it.
I really don't get it at all. I like the idea of dating being something you can just go do with a friend, like going to go fly kites and then eating Subway sandwiches as a picnic (a cute idea that I just heard today. I wanted to write it down, and now I have!) but you don't have to be in total LIKE with that particular friend. They're just a girl/guy that you get along with or would like to know better. But if, for you, the term "dating" means something way more romantic or something totally different, then please comment with your own personal definition.

Piddly Little Quote
Love is as much of an object as an obsession, everybody wants it, everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it, those who do will cherish it, be lost in it, and among all, never... never forget it.
-Curtis Judalet