Surely you have a friend or two who evaluates every man they meet for marriage potential, and then kicks him to the curb if he’s not quite there. That’s one method, but sometimes it’s fine to date someone you wouldn’t even consider walking down the aisle with. In fact, the experience can teach you quite a lot.
- Because you’re not trying to get married tomorrow. Despite the marriage trends in your social circle at the moment, you’re not in any hurry. When the right guy shows up, you’ll know it.
- Practice makes perfect. Some of us need to date 2-25 losers first to learn the right lessons about men and the right lessons about ourselves to become a great girlfriend (or wife).
- Because sex. If you’re denying everyone until you find the right one, you might end up waiting for a while. Which is fine, but why deny all of your carnal pleasures if you don’t have to?
- Sometimes we need companionship. You would never drag a guy along without being clear about your intentions, but sometimes you just need a man around to escort you to the movies and carry your groceries upstairs to your apartment.
- Breaking up isn’t that hard to do. Okay, it’s not exactly thrilling, but there’s nothing wrong with having experiences that give you the opportunity to practice communicating and setting boundaries, either.
- For the life experience. Spending time with other people can introduce you to all kinds of new things about the world, as well as new people. Who doesn’t love a new addition to the social circle?
- Maybe you don’t want to get married at all. If you don’t want to get married, or you’re not sure about it, you probably still want to date. Just as long as you’re not stringing the poor chap along for the ride…
- You’ll know “The One” is the one when you meet him. If you haven’t kissed any frogs, you might not be as quick to notice the real prince in front you, or recognize random qualities that are really important to you. It’s all about perspective and having one that got away kind of sucks.
- There’s less stress. Serious relationships can be intense for a lot of reasons. A summer fling, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily need to be.
- Exes can become friends. If you’re casually dating someone cool, the odds are fairly good that you’ll be able to retain a friendship even after you pull the romance plug.
- For the experience of getting dumped. Again, being broken up with is not the best, but those stings can make you a stronger person overall and increase your self-awareness about trying not to hurt other people.
- You need a date for everyone else’s wedding this year. Wedding season runs a whole lot smoother if you’ve got a go to date who’s on the same page as you.
- You might change your mind. Funny thing happens when you really get to know people without making assumptions or putting pressure on the relationship…they can totally surprise you with their awesomeness.
