Friendly, Yet Reserved

I recently read a book named Just Thirteen by Dorcas R. Mast. I did not agree with all the theology, but the story was a good one and I would like to share a part from which I really profited.

The main character, Pansy, is talking to her mother and the subject of boys comes up.

"Well, just how am I supposed to act around the boys, anyway?" Pansy asked relentlessly. "I never know."
"At your age, boys and girls should only be concerned about being friends," Mother explained. "There is a right way for boys and girls to talk together. But the right way is not Kirsten's [a girl previously mentioned who is getting a lot of attention from the boys by teasing and the like] way. A girl shouldn't be showing off or be loud or overly expressive. She will be friendly and yet reserved."
"But what is that?" Pansy asked. "Friendly and yet reserved."
"I once heard reserved defined as 'self-constraint in expression'," Mother said, thoughtfully. "A reserved girl will be modest and self-controlled. She won't be flaunting herself or be trying to catch attention. And the boys will respect that. You think that Andy and Jeremy [unbelievers from school] like Kirsten. Perhaps they do. But they respect you and Cynthia and Jocelyn [Pansy's Christian friends] too much to be free with you."
"I can understand that," Pansy said, looking soberly at her ear of popcorn.
"And don't forget that Hugh and Phillip, who are Christians, aren't flirting with Kirsten. Kirsten herself said that Hugh wasn't much fun. That means Hugh knows how to be reserved, which says something for Hugh. You see, Pansy, this is a two-way street. The girls can't do it all. And neither can the boys. Each must have respect for the other. But you can be friendly in a way that is reserved. It isn't necessary to be so reserved that you never speak to each other."
Pansy smiled a little. "Of course not. I know that. But this sets a few things straight for me. On the other side of the picture, Hugh and Phillip are the boys that I have the most respect for."
Mother nodded. "That's right. You're too young to be having a special friendship with a boy or even to be thinking about such a friendship, Pansy. But you aren't too young to form ideals about the right kind of boy."
"And we don't base our decisions on whether he's good-looking or not," Pansy said wisely.
Mother smiled. "Certainly not. Looks don't count for anything. Remember that 'Handsome is as handsome does.' And that goes for the girls as well."


What do you think? What are some practical ways you try to implement these concepts into your life?