Dating advice from a guy catching up
Bear with me here. I have very little dating experience compared to the rest of the Statesman staff, all of whom are either married, in committed relationships or just plain know how to woo the singles’ ward.
I didn’t date much in high school, and my workload in college hasn’t helped my social life either. Still, I do have some advice to give when it comes to dating.
For starters, don’t be afraid to ask a girl out. I was pretty shy in high school, but when senior prom rolled around, I threw caution to the wind and just flat out asked a girl who I’d known for a while if she’d like to go with me. She said yes, we had a great time at prom and continued to date for a little bit until it was time to ship off to college. Having confidence – even if you only have a tiny shred of it, like me – can go a long way.
Second, you don’t have to surrender your man card if you let a girl pay for a date, or at least go Dutch. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve offered and been prepared to pay for every date I’ve been on, but if the lady wants to pay every now and again, let her. If you are so worried about looking masculine by paying for everything on the date than actually worrying about the date itself, you probably aren’t setting yourself up for anything long-term.
Finally, don’t let religious or cultural barriers get in the way. I’m a relatively non-religious fellow from a Las Vegas, a fairly diverse place, attending school in a rather culturally-homogenous area, so I haven’t had much luck in the dating department, needless to say. This is a cop-out, however. Mormons and non-Mormons date all the time and have plenty of fun: It’s just a matter of having the confidence to ask a girl out, regardless of how differently the two of you were raised.
I’m speaking from experience here when I say cross-cultural dating works – or at least it certainly worked for my parents. My Catholic-raised dad and my LDS-raised mom are approaching their 24th wedding anniversary in May.
Take it for what you will, but religion and culture shouldn’t have to define who you choose to date. If you genuinely like each other, you’ll see past such petty things like where you spend your Sundays.
I hope this was at least somewhat helpful: Again, I’m no Tavin Stucki here. If you like or don’t like my advice, shoot me an email.
-Eric Jungblut is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism with a rather lackluster dating life compared to his colleagues at the Statesman. Still, ladies, you know, if you want to get dinner with him or something sometime, he can be reached at ej.jungblut@gmail.com or on Twitter @TheJungleButt.