The Dating Game: A Prequel to Marriage

Dating isn’t what it used to be.  Nowadays, people think that the only reason to date is to if you want to marry someone, but this is not the case.  The 5 functions of dating are:

1. Recreation – Just have fun! Go on a date to get away from the stress of school or work.
2. Status Attainment – By dating various types of people, you get to have a whole new network of friends that are all different.
3. Socialization – One thing that people have a hard time doing recently is working with others.  By going on dates, you learn to interact and socialize with people that are not on the computer or phone.
4.  Intimacy and companionship – This does not mean that you need to be physically involved with someone.  This is more of the idea of needing physical interaction with people.  You feel needed and appreciated when you are physically with someone.
5. Finding a mate – This is the more stereotypical function.  Ultimately, you should be able to find a person to marry, but only after you have reached the point where you are ready to marry, and are satisfied with the idea of only dating this one person for the rest of your life. 

You should be trying to find ‘a’ right spouse, not ‘the’ right spouse.  Odds are, you aren’t going to find that one person that is perfect in every way.   A good marriage is crafted, not found.  Forget about the Cinderella Syndrome – if you want to have a good marriage, you have to work towards it.  

Dating isn’t meant to be stressful.  Try not to get carried away with the pressure of finding the perfect guy or girl to date.  Meet new people and socialize in a bunch of different ways, but most importantly, have fun!