Awkward.

That is the best way that I can describe where I am currently at in my life. I'm at the really awkward age where I'm old enough to be considered an adult, but not really. I mean according to my mom, I am supposed to be making my own dentist/doctor appointments by myself, which I still have no idea how to do either of those things. But more importantly, how does one "date" at 19?

It's like you aren't 16 years old and going to the movies with a guy where he awkwardly puts his arm around you and your hands are unusually very sweaty and everything is just one big ball of braces. At the same time, you are not 23. You can go out to a nice restaurant with a boy, you both have full time jobs, and live by an adult schedule of drinking wine and dining over appetizers you cannot even pronounce. So how do you even date at 19?

I can tell you what not to do.

Listen, I am all for putting yourself out there, but with experience I have from dating apps like Tinder, I highly suggest you resort to meeting people in real life, not over the internet. It definitely does not get more uncomfortable than meeting up with a guy you met on Tinder, going to the movies, have him talk the ENTIRE time and finally have him tell you at the end of the date "Maybe I'll see you around?" YEAH. IT HAPPENED. MADE ME FEEL AWESOME. I HOPE I DO NOT SEE YOU AROUND.

I also highly suggest that you meet somewhere public on a first date at 19, I mean come on ladies, I know we are smart enough to realize that if you show up to a guy's apartment at 10 o'clock at night, you are really just setting yourself up for some disappointment and hands going where you do not intend them to go. If a guy EVER asks you to his place during the wee hours of the night, 10/10 he is really just inviting you over to get a more "hands on" approach.

This is why we need to talk about dating at 19. When you are 19, you are in such a strange place socially, mentally and physically. If you are anything like me, you are starting to bloom just a tiny bit. Boys who would not give you the time of day back home are all of a sudden in your Instagram messages, sigh. When you are 19, you are just beginning to get used to the hang of college schedules, and meeting so many new people. You have this independence that you did not really have last year, and just the thought of turning 20 is terrifying.

But dating while you are 19 can be such a blessing in disguise as well. I know that heartbreak absolutely sucks, but during this time you get so many new batches of boys in your life that you get to witness all types of love. You are allowed to make mistakes at 19, and that includes getting heartbroken. You are allowed to have fun, and date as much as you want to without having a single thought of settling down. Dating at 19 is definitely not like leaving the party at 7:30, and I can promise you, if you do find the right guy at 19, the party is SO worth leaving at 7:30.

Gifs from giphy.com