[masraum]

Originally Posted by fintstone

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.

I think I followed something like that. If there was no spark that seemed like they could be a long term, then I did not pursue. I'm sure I missed out on some experience and fun. I probably also avoided a lot of trouble.

I do think it's possible to share time and date folks that you click with but may not necessarily be long term. I think the key is that you have to be up front and honest about what's going on. It may also be more likely to be successful once you're a little older (>25 or 30?).

I don't really remember any advice for dating. I also didn't date much. I am/was good looking, but awkward. I was shy and wasn't able to read interest (now I look back and see lots of missed opportunities).