Survival of the Cutest: A Miniguide to Dating

            I’ll come clean right now before we get any farther in the post. I have never been on an actual date. The closest I have ever came involved me, my boyfriend at the time, my friend, her boyfriend at the time, and a bag of Cheetos stuck in a tree. Now, do the math, dear readers. However, that doesn’t mean that I have no idea what I’m talking about. I have a small collection of knowledge about interacting with people in a date-like setting, even though we might not actually have been on a date. In this post, I hope to go over some things that might help to put dating participants at ease while on their date.

            Firstly, you want to make sure you get as many details about the date as possible beforehand. Where are you going? What time are you getting picked up/picking up/meeting? Whose paying for the date? If you’re a worrier like me, then not knowing these important details might send you into a panic. Your date is already going to be fueled with nervous energy from both participants, so no need to add to it unnecessarily. Exchange numbers so that you can let each other know of any changing plans.

            Next, you want to have your date in an environment where you’re comfortable, but that also allows for you to get to know your date in an intimate fashion. This is something you’ll want to talk over with your date as you are in the planning stages. If eating in front of crushes makes you anxious then maybe going out to dinner isn’t the best idea. However, a movie, which limits conversation, may not be the best bet either. Go for things that you both might enjoy. For this very reason, you should try to keep the location as simple as possible. A night of bowling, a trip to the skating rink, a walk in the park or a meal at a nice, inexpensive restaurant are just a few of the many options for an enjoyable dating experience.

            Lastly, be honest with your date. Having open, honest interactions in the beginning is a good precursor to where ever the participants want the relationship to lead. I know it’s difficult, but open yourself up. Tell your date things about yourself that you feel they should know. Tell them your likes and dislikes, your dreams and fears. This could very well be the thing that breaks the ice and leads to a second date and so on.  

            Despite my lack of hands-on dating experience, I know how difficult it can be. While I don’t claim that these steps are the recipe for a perfect date, nor am I claiming that these are the only things that matter, these steps are important and can help to make a date worthwhile.