As a young twenty-something who has had her heart broken, broken hearts herself, and is still out there trying to find the right one, I've come up with some opinions on how millennials date. We are fiercely independent who are more interested in going after our own goals and aspirations than we are in finding someone to celebrate those with. Not that I'm a dating expert, but here's what I've come up with throughout my younger years. We're dating wrong.
I'm being serious. There are some things we do while dating that leave me scratching my head and ask the question "where did we go wrong?" I'm here to tell you what I believe Millennials have either stopped doing, or what we need to start doing in our quest to find someone compatible to our own personal weirdness.
1. Bring back the romance.
Sounds cheesy, I know. It doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive dinner or anything grand. Do anything, sit on the porch and star gaze, go for coffee, go on a picnic and bring the food and drink – most importantly just enjoy each other’s company. And no – do not feel the need to post it all over social media.
2. Stop posting so much on social media.
This is not me saying that you shouldn’t express your affection towards your significant other. This is simply me reminding everyone that not everything you do needs to be documented.
3. Having feelings is actually OK.
There really shouldn’t be this fight over who has the upper hand. In our generation you have the upper hand if you care "less" than the other person. Which is absolutely ridiculous. I mean come on now, when do you ever win in life if you’re the one that has “less” of something?
4. It’s OK to still want your own life.
I feel like in our generation we don’t date or commit because we’re deathly afraid of sacrificing our independence. But, we're onto something here! Everyone should be allowed to have their own hobbies and likes that don’t involve their significant other, and have them be OK with it.
5. Cut the toxicity.
I know that there are people out there that feed off of fighting with someone or feed off of the rush they get when they’re in the heat of the moment. And if you are one of those people, cut the crap. Seriously, because life is way too short to be with someone who doesn't make your days a little easier.
6. Date multiple people.
No, that does not mean sleep with multiple people. This is one for those of us who are single and trying to mingle. There are thousands of people out in the world, and you should get to know different people and their hobbies, likes, dislikes, and opinions.
7. Love yourself first.
This is another cheesy reminder, but I believe this statement with all of my heart. Knowing yourself and what will make you happy in life will make it easier to put yourself out there.
