Contributing Writer | Jenny Schildroth

Whenever I go home and hear my parents talking about what dating was like when they were younger, I love hearing how Dad won over Mom’s affection by taking her to a fancy dinner or a night club. It makes me a little sad because it seems that the stories they tell don’t happen anymore. In today’s world, hearing about sit down dinner dates are not as common as they used to be. My friends will tell me about the guys they are “talking” to, and I rarely hear them say that they went on a date – they just “hung out”.  Are the days of pursuing others in the name of love over?

Dating has changed, but it definitely is not over. If you really look at it, you will realize that we did not stop dating, we are just dating differently. Our generation as a whole is not the type to sit at a fancy dinner and make small talk for an hour; we are the people who want to go out and do things together. It is still true that millennials can get a little lazy and just hang out in their room or apartment and call it a date, but I have seen so many people dating by going on adventures. We like to spend time planning an event and experiencing something, rather than planning a “date” and having to put on your best version of yourself.

Personally I hate sit down dinners. I find it terribly awkward to sit there for an hour or so while trying to eat like a lady in front of this man I barely know yet. That is not how I get to know someone. You get to know people by doing what they like to do. I would much rather have a guy say, “Hey let me take you [insert adventure here]” than, “I don’t know, where do you want to eat?” I think this is what our dating has shifted to. We want to show our affection by doing what we love with whom we love instead of spending a lot of money on them and doing the same thing over and over again. Dating is still out there, you just have to find the one that you want to show your world to, not just your “date” self.

Photo by Megan Snyder