[fintstone]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

As the mother of a son in his early 20's, I think I have semi-good advice.

-Don't waste time with a woman who complains more than she smiles.
-Date women the same intelligence level (notice is said intelligence, not education level. There is a big difference)
-Find someone with hobbies or interests.

Great advice. Especially the "intelligence, not education level" part.

Best advice I ever got when starting to date was "don't date someone that you know you would never want to marry." Circumstances (casual sex, unintended pregnancy, shared finances/debt, or simply just getting a bit too comfortable often leads to big mistakes). While bad girls/boys may be fun, they may also be addictive but like many other addictive things, not very good for you.

I was lucky as the line formed to hang with the verifiable crazy girls was too long...and I found one that was just crazy enough for me. Married in my late teens (1976) to a girl I met in high school not long after graduating...a long and happy marriage (at least so far) with an anniversary coming up soon.

Older, more experienced folks with different goals (not looking to establish a new family or marriage) may find different rules work for them...but I have seen a lot of them fall into the same traps.