We’ve all heard the old-school advice, “play hard to get” and “don’t sleep with him on the first date.” Dating, however, is a little more complicated than that, right?
With that being said, I decided to ask 25 males and females of mixed ages about the best dating advice they’ve ever received. Because, let’s face it, we’re all clueless when it comes to matters of the heart!
These are the valuable gems I collected from the real-life experts…Get out your handy-dandy notebook because you’re going to want to write these babies down!
Tom, 25:
“Wait until the third date to bring up your horoscope.”
Brianna, 25:
“The best dating advice I’ve ever gotten would have to be from Memere, my 96-year-old, great-grandmother. She always told me it didn’t matter what race, religion, or age he was or how much money he had in the bank. All that mattered was if you were friends too.”
Rodney, 29:
“Never give up. Even if your last date ended with the girl crying; saying it should have been her ex-boyfriend buying her ice cream, and not you, two hours into the date. You have to keep believing that love is right around the corner, no matter how rough the last date was!”
Corinne, 25:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them. If I made you a smoothie- a delicious smoothie with almond milk, strawberries, bananas…and then I added some poop to it…you wouldn’t still drink it, would you?… But it’s just a little poop! Point is, don’t put up with even a little bit of shit.”
Maiko, 24:
“Out of all the advice my mother told me, I’ll never forget the time she said to never date yoga instructors.”
Stephanie, 29:
“You need to find someone with the same core values! The best advice I’ve ever gotten, hands down!”
Aaron, 26:
“Sometimes you just know!”
Lyndsey, 24:
“Every minute you choose to spend with one person, is time that you’re not spending with someone else. Meaning that whoever you choose to spend your time with, make sure they’re worth it. Your time is precious! There will ALWAYS be another person out there who will treat you exactly how you deserve to be treated – with love and respect. So, if you’re spending your time with a partner who isn’t giving you what you want and need in a relationship, rethink giving your time to them. The good one is out there and he or she is worth waiting for!”
Amanda, 25:
“Don’t ask yourself how a boy feels about you. Ask how he makes you feel about yourself.”
Zachary, 18:
“A teacher once told me that the purpose of dating is to make each other better people, but you both remain individuals.”
Lauren, 27:
“Honesty is the best policy. You really weed out dudes who aren’t for you when you’re just upfront with your intentions. Also, if a guy ever hits you with a “well my intentions aren’t to hurt you.” Run. Only psychopaths have intentions to hurt people from the get. Dudes who say that are too chickenshit to admit they don’t want a relationship but they like spending time with you and in you.”
Vincent, 27:
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Holly, 39:
“Don’t try to be what he wants. Be you. If he doesn’t like the real you, he’s not worth your time.”
Jordan, 27:
“The best dating advice came from my father, who could never be called eloquent. His words were short and direct, ‘You can’t fix stupid’. By this, I believe he was saying to find a partner that is smart, first, and beautiful, second. The goal of most relationships is to find the one other person you can spend the rest of your life with. So find that someone who compliments, and challenges you, even after their beauty fades.”
Corey, 24:
“Relationships aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be formative. You’re supposed to learn and grow with the other person. Make compromises, talk things out, and try to make it work. They need to know they’re your rock and vice-versa. Dating isn’t easy, and neither is finding the right person. But you’re NEVER going to find an infallible partner. There will be times you have to swallow your pride for the sake of the other. It’s a partnership. It’s you and the other person taking things on TOGETHER. It’s not “your problem” it’s “our problem”. Fact is, you will never find someone perfect. You WILL, however, find someone perfect for you.”
Evan, 26:
“It’s difficult to date without really knowing who you are. You can chase after human instinct and desire for affection or companionship without that, but I think to really commit yourself to someone in a way that they deserve, you have to love yourself first. If you don’t, then it’s not just unfair to the person you’re dating, but also unfair to yourself.”
Sarah, 25:
“If you’ve connected with someone on a dating app, try and meet in person as soon as possible. It’s hard to tell if you’ll actually have chemistry over messages. People can surprise you! Someone, you’re having a great text conversation with could be completely vanilla in person, and someone who seems fairly unremarkable over text could be the most charismatic person you’ve ever met! You just never know!”
Sam, 28:
“You find someone when you stop looking.”
Martha, 26:
“Never forget yourself! Don’t get wrapped up so deep in the relationship that you forget who you are. You’re so much more than your significant other and maybe someday down the road, that significant other won’t be there. So, wouldn’t you rather start back on your own feet instead of scrapping together what you thought you were?”
Marc, 44:
“When you’re disappointed by events in a relationship- take a step back, a break, don’t speak. Just think. Don’t attack! Relax, and just have peace!”
Grace, 23:
“You’re single until you’re engaged.”
Tooky, 29:
“Be open to dating someone who’s even a little different than you or what you’re looking for because those differences could be the reasons why you end up loving each other.”
Bryan, 27:
“Always do drinks or coffee on a first date, no dinner.”
Kim, 26:
“I think the best advice for dating is from my mom- find someone that is going to listen to you and value your opinions without tearing you down and who lifts you up in all you do.”
Sophie, 27:
“Someone once gave me advice that led me to the best decision, they told me, ‘You just haven’t found the right dick yet’… And then I found a neon pink one on the corner of 61st and 2nd. I put it on and haven’t looked back.
Image credit: [pixabay]
