Some Old-School Dating Rules Should Be Retired (VIDEO)
I'm sure that ever since the dawn of time, there have been dating rules of the road. Some dos and don'ts have stood the test of time, like having the tact to thank someone after they've paid for dinner (or, in the dark ages, perhaps they hunted or gathered it) or knowing better than to talk so much that you don't let your date get a word in edgewise. But other rules are a bit hazier, I'd say ...
Not according to JoAnn From Bensonhurst, though. The Brooklyn mom is talking "manners" in her latest episode on CafeMom Studios' YouTube Channel, and when it comes to courtship courtesy, she certainly makes some some awesome points. But I gotta say, I'm not with her 100 percent on some of her old-school rules.
Check out the episode ...
Okay, so breaking up via text? Yes, totally wrong! Have the decency to break up with someone face-to-face ... and not via FaceTime! In person! But the sex on the first date as an absolute no-no? Ehhhh ... come on, JoAnn, not everyone who ends up in bed on the first go-round is a "who-er" (hahaha). And pointing to her grandparents' era, a time when premarital sex was shunned by most women who had to be seen as "good girls" to get hitched, isn't exactly helpful or empowering to women today.
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I agree that always jumping into bed on the first date makes someone (women and men!) a whore, but sometimes, first date sex just happens. There's off-the-charts sexual chemistry, you've been friends for a long time before having your first date, you both drank a little too much -- oh well! I don't think it necessarily is a death sentence for the relationship, as The Rules authors -- and JoAnn perhaps -- would have us ladies believe.
Similarly, her take on paying on the first date strikes me as a bit too black and white. It probably makes the most sense for whoever initiated the first date to pay. And I agree that a woman's got to at least offer on the second date, but she might also want to actually plan on paying if the guy paid the first time. You know, these days, it makes a lot more sense to take turns or split the bill 50/50. Women who say they've never had to pay for a date in their lives drive me nuts! (What are they trying to do -- single-handedly turn the clock back 50 years?!)
All in all, though, JoAnn's got the right idea, and her overall message -- you know, having common courtesy (something that seems to escape many New Yorkers!) and saying "please," "thank you," and "I love you" -- is one we should all consider more often.
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Want to get more of JoAnn From Bensonhurst cracking wise? Check out her new video series on the CafeMom Studios YouTube Channel! A new episode will appear every Monday, but you can subscribe right there in case you forget!
What do you think about JoAnn's old school dating rules?
Image via CafeMomStudios/YouTube
Written by Maressa Brown on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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