Should I start dating?

When I was a little younger, I always pestered my parents about dating. Recently, I've been more focused on friends and hanging out with a group of people. My mom said I wasnt old enough to date a year or two ago. And looking back, i'm glad I didn't. But I'm going to be 16 in a few months. A really good friend of mine said she liked me. And I like her back. But I told her if anything's going to happen between us, it has to be some time after my birthday. Tonight I asked my mom about dating and she said I was too young. She told me that dating was a waste of time. Quite honestly, I'm kind of worried about that too. I told my friend that if we do try dating, there won't be any guarantees it will work out. I've felt for some time now that I'm happy I'm not tied down to anyone. Im free to do whatever. But then again, I've never even dated before. So do you think I should? And if I do, how do I try to get my parents to be more open to it?