Back in the Stone Age (okay, not that long ago, but you know what I mean!), dating was a fairly systematic thing. There was no internet, let alone internet dating, and dating rules were there to be agonized over. Many a man and woman spent countless hours wringing their hands in frustration lest they lose at the dating game.
As far as the handwringing goes, not much has changed. The rules, thankfully, have! If you’re going to stress out about the rules of the dating game, it helps if you have an up to date version of the playbook, right? Hopefully these addendums will decrease your dating stress.
1. Ladies; no more sitting around waiting for the phone to ring
A long-standing and dearly loathed tradition, this is one you women can let go of. Completely. It is no longer expected, appreciated, or really even understood. By this time, guys have basically caught up with the New Deal of Dating. And one of the key components of said agreement is the glorious understanding that it’s just as okay for a girl to call or ask out a guy as for the reverse to happen.
The real kicker: the dudes know this. We have no excuse anymore. Consider it a stressful by-product of feminism. We won (or are at least on the right path) that battle and now the ball is in our court. But hey, don’t think of the stress of deciding when and how to approach that tasty man morsel you’ve been eyeing, this is liberating. No more waiting by the phone. Our calendars just got way easier to plan.
2. Have sex when it feels right for you
That just makes sense doesn’t it? Thankfully yes, but it wasn’t always like that. These days, birth control methods are effective and readily available. Even so, in some parts of the country society’s rules, particularly the dating rules haven’t quite caught up from the days when an unplanned pregnancy was just one date away.
But people, times have changed. Both men and women are educated about the consequences of unprotected sex; pregnancy and life threatening diseases. The new dating rule is this; be responsible for your safety and that of your partner. Do what is best for you both physically and mentally. If you can’t, don’t have sex.
3. Who pays? The Man or The Woman?
Quite frankly I’m happy that the “man always pays” rule has been tossed out the window. Before deciding who pays, think about the financial situation of each, whose idea the outing was in the first place, or who is feeling generous that day. Metaphorically speaking, we can all wear the pants now. Money matters have nothing to do with what’s in them.
4. Internet dating
Remember when internet dating was in its infancy; a domain for the socially inept and other assorted weirdos? Sure you do; we all do. And that’s part of the problem. It’s time to let go of any hang-ups you may about internet dating; it’s here to stay. There are a lot of people who have at least dabbled in it, so any feelings of embarrassment at meeting someone online can be tossed out the window.
This article was written by the writers of the Datepad.com free internet dating company where you can read hundreds more professional dating articles.