10 Unspoken Dating Rules And Dating Etiquette Everyone Must Follow

The rules of dating are a little ‘love it or hate it.’ Few people actually sit on the fence on this one. Most either find dating thrilling and exciting or dread it and find the whole thing dramatic and confusing. What’s your take on it?

Personally, I detest dating. That might sound a little harsh, but while I like the first meeting side of it, anything after that I just find to be completely confusing and full of mind games that I have no time to play. Play hard to get, don’t play hard to get, wait three days before replying, there are so many rumors on what you should do, it’s just downright mind-fuddling!

# Always be on time

Ah, this is a big one! If your date is always late, it’s disrespectful and not the best start. It’s normal to run late once and apologize for it. But if you’re dating someone and they’re always late or always coming up with excuses about the traffic and other creative explanations, it’s probably time to just put this one down to experience and move on. It’s not a cute quirk, it’s annoying.

# Put your phone away

Always be present in the moment. If you’re on a date and you’re on your phone constantly or you’re regularly checking it, you’re not paying attention to the person you’re with.

Flip this around and consider how you would feel if the moment your date sat down, they took their phone out and put it beside them, checking their social media notifications every five seconds. You’d be annoyed, right?

# Don’t have an agenda

Don’t go into a date with a specific aim. Dating is supposed to be fun, and it’s not going to free and easy if you have a final aim. It just puts pressure on the whole thing and neither of you are going to enjoy yourselves.

Don’t go into a date expecting sex, and don’t go into a date expecting it to be the start of some grand love affair or the first step towards marriage. Just go into it hoping to have a great time and see where it goes from there.

# Give them a chance

How many times have you heard “never judge a book by its cover?” This is a prime example. If this person isn’t your normal “type,” forget that and just give them a chance. If you’ve heard something about this person and you’re not sure what to think about it, again, give them a chance.

Also remember that some people find dating very nerve-wracking. Overlook a few nerves and allow them feel comfortable enough to allow their true self to shine through. Just give them a chance!

# Go somewhere you can talk

The single worst place you can choose for a date is a noisy environment where you can’t hear yourselves think, let alone talk. That means nightclubs and loud bars are a huge no-no. If you’re going to see a band, make sure there is plenty of time before and after for chatting. Consider meeting up beforehand for drinks, so you can fit in a little pre-gig chatting.

One of the biggest rules of dating is that you actually have time to sit down and talk. That’s how you get to know one another!

# Don’t splash your date all over social media

Please don’t share with your followers that you’re about to go on a date and then update them afterwards. If you really want to share the deets, do so with your closest friends on your WhatsApp group, not all over Instagram and Facebook!

# If you don’t want what they want, tell them so

It’s vital that when you’re dating, you’re upfront and honest with whoever you’re seeing about what you want. This doesn’t mean sitting down on date one and telling them that you’re never going to get married or you’ve decided that having children just isn’t for you.

However, it does mean letting them know if you’re really not up for a relationship right now, or you’re only looking for flirty fun. Don’t waste someone’s time by making them think that you’re ready for a relationship when it’s not even on your radar.

# Don’t talk about exes

The worst thing you can do on a date is sit down and talk about your ex and why you split, or what was wrong with them. It’s even worse to sit down and talk about what was so right about your ex!

Basically, let it go. It’s in the past and that’s where it needs to stay. Your date doesn’t need to hear about it. It makes you look like you’re not over it, and you would no doubt hate it if they did the same. Out of all the rules of dating, please stick to this one!

# If you’re going to get physical, always be safe

If you decide to take things to an intimate level, always be safe. You’re not in a committed relationship. You’ve not been checked out and you might be seeing other people at the same time. That means the two of you are potentially putting the other one at risk. Just be safe, it’s not hard to do!

# Forget tradition but don’t be tight

Forget the “who should pay” deal and simply go with the flow. This is something which causes all manner of anxiety, but there’s really no need. There are no rules here – the guy doesn’t have to pay, the person who suggested the date doesn’t have to pay, you don’t have to go halves.