Why Date?

 Dating has become a very controversial topic these days compared to 20 years ago. So the question is why date? Why take the time to plan out and go on dates with people rather than simply "hanging out?" The purpose of dating is to find out who want to marry and who you would have a good marriage with. Going on dates meaning one is asking the other on a date, an activity is planned out with something to do in which you can learn about that person, find out who they are as a person and either find out you are not interested or you start to grow a relationship. 

Dating can tell you a lot about yourself and who you are as person and what you need/ want in a relationship. It can also sho you how the person you are going on dates with how they respond to certain situations, their interests, and red flags. People these days don't go on dates. They just hangout with people in apartments and find people in friend groups and pair off with them and just continue to "hangout."

One of my least favorite sayings these days is "never spend money on someone else's wife" I think that is silly because you are not going to marry everyone you date and you are not only going date the person you marry. You have to go on dates with other people to see what you do and don't like (unless you are the rare person that marries the only person they've ever dated). 

People are also more likely to date and marry people who are similar to themselves. Age gaps between couples have decreased. A vast majority of couples have less than a three year gap. As well as there are more interacial couples these days but still not a lot. People are a lot more likely to date and marry someone of their own race as cultural background. As well as religious beliefs too. Why is that? Well one because it's easy. It's a lot easier to raise children when you and your partner have the same customs and beliefs. But it's also where we meet people. We meet people at schools we both go to, churches we attend, activities we do, etc. 

What about a step further than dating... once you are dating, or even engaged to someone a lot of people these days cohabit. They move in together before they are married. But why? well it's a lot more common and fantasied these days than it was years ago. But it's convenient. People say it's easy. Most of the time people move in together slowly over time. Someone really close to me has done this with his girlfriend. They started dating, and over time she had a toothbrush at his apartment. And then she had some clothes there, and eventually all her stuff was there and they were just simply living with each other. 

Well what's the big deal with cohabitation? A lot of people say they move in together before marriage as a sort of "trial." Something to test out to see if they work together to be able to get married. But in reality more people are likely to get divorced in a marriage if they have lived together before actually getting married. About half of the people who co habit intend to marry, or so they say. More often than not the girl in the relationship thinks that they relationship will end in marriage or hope it will. The guy usually (not every time) just wants sex or looks forward to the sex more.