This morning I woke up to a wonderful surprise! I got a huge delivery of fan mail from the past couple of weeks while I've been away touring. I really need to be packing for my trip tomorrow, but instead...

Brooke's Dating 101

This morning I woke up to a wonderful surprise! I got a huge delivery of fan mail from the past couple of weeks while I've been away touring. I really need to be packing for my trip tomorrow, but instead I've spent the entire afternoon out by the pool with my dogs and the box of mail. I love reading letters from my fans and I wish I could reply to all of them, but unfortunately that would be impossible since it would take me YEARS haha. Lately I've been getting a lot of questions about guys and how hard it is being 15 or 16 when your parents won't let you date. If you've seen Hogan Knows Best you've obviously seen what it was like for me when I tried dating -- um, have you ever had a tracking device installed in your car?!? LOL!

Once I turned 18 though I was surprised when my dad told me that I could come and go as I pleased. What it comes down to is my parents raised me well and they know that I've got my head screwed on tight. Over the years I've proved to them that I can act like a responsible adult and make mature decisions -- I think that's the secret. You need to show your parents that they can trust you. Looking back on it now that I'm a little older I realize that they were just looking out for me. Your parents love you and want you to be happy, but their number one concern has to be keeping you safe. Once I proved to my mom and dad that I could be trusted, they loosened up their grip. That's the best thing you can do. I've learned that whining and complaining will get you nowhere (especially with the Hulkster haha).

Although the tracking device story is a funny one, I have another dating story that you all might like. I was going out to dinner with this guy last year and when he came to pick me up I realized that I had forgotten something upstairs. I made the mistake of leaving the poor guy alone with my dad who then asked him if he had an AIDS test!!! Hahaha -- I'm just glad the guy stuck around for the date after that!!! I definitely learned my lesson about leaving my dad alone with guys that night lol!

That's all for now -- I guess I really have to get upstairs and start packing. I'm really excited for my trip tomorrow! It starts off in New York with a performance on The Early Show and then I'm flying to LA for the Big in '06 Awards and a bunch of Christmas shows all over the country! Maybe I'll even see some of you there :) I hope so!!!

All my VERY best,

Brooke