All about Exclusive Dating
Dating today is not easy and one of the biggest issues you might have to confront is exclusive dating. If you think that exclusive dating means you have to date one person exclusively and cannot date anyone else, you are absolutely right. Some people opt for exclusive dating right away while others never agree on it. Most people fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
Exclusive dating does not mean you cannot talk to someone of the opposite sex ever again, but it does mean you cannot go beyond the bounds of friendship and have a romantic or sexual relationship with anyone else. You cannot go behind your girlfriend or boyfriend’s back and see another person. And, you especially cannot lie to them about it!
The first form of exclusive dating is “going steady,” and it usually occurs in high school. It is often the first public indication that two people are in a special relationship. And, when you make this leap, a few new rules start to apply.
The biggest one, of course, is that you both agree not to date anyone else. It also means that you try to spend every free moment you can find with one another. Several phone calls a day are normal in this type of situation. While there is no specific length of time you have to be dating before this commitment is made, when you are young it means you have probably been together for at least a month.
Having a steady guy or girl usually means that you do not make plans to do something without the other person, or at least not without telling the other person. For instance, if you are both free on a Saturday, it is expected that you will spend time with each other. It means that you don’t need to have official dates anymore, that you just want to be together, whether it’s doing the laundry or watching TV.
Exclusive dating can be just the thing to cement two people together forever or it can be just the opposite--a disaster. For one thing, some men and women are quicker at wanting to make a commitment than others. If you just don’t know what the other person is thinking, you can try to feel out the situation by asking what he or she thinks about the current relationship.
You may have to be totally honest and direct and just be the first one to say something like, “I really like you a lot and don’t want to see anyone else. What about you?” Some people will always want an open relationship where they can see others and you can date other people as well. If this is what’s happening in your relationship and you no longer want this type of arrangement, it is probably time to move on and find someone else who wants to make a serious commitment.
Exclusive dating often depends on timing. It is not good to seek out an exclusive relationship if you have just gotten a divorce or ended another relationship. Often, time needs to pass so that feelings can heal. If you are dating someone in this situation, you can wait for him or her to get over the other person and move on or you can decide you don’t want to wait, end the relationship, and seek out someone new.
If you know that the person you are dating will never settle for an exclusive relationship even if it’s what you want, once again it is time to move on. The world is full of people and if you want exclusive dating, you should find someone who loves you and is willing to make the same kind of commitment to you.