First Date Mistakes

First dates are nerve wracking, whether you met online, in person, or have been set-up on a blind date by your meddling Aunt Martha. Don’t make an already stressful situation worse by going somewhere silly. What do I mean by silly? Let me give you some examples.

Avoid the movies for now.

Unless you have dinner planned beforehand, a movie is a ridiculous first date. A first date is for testing the waters, to see if John or Jane is going to get on your nerves. And, unless they smell very badly, have Tourette’s, talk the whole time, or eat like an animal – you really aren’t going to find much out whilst sitting next to them in a dark theater. Save this for a second date.

Avoid sporting events that are very important to only one of you.

Tell Jane you’ve got a spare ticket to the Knicks and she just might think that’s nifty. What she doesn’t realize, is, that you – being the obsessed fan you are – aren’t going to want to talk to her until it’s over. And that’s just going to tick her off, because she probably won’t find your obsession ? as interesting as you do. If, however, she’s also a big fan, that could work out well. Just make sure you know in advance.

Avoid weddings, funerals, christenings, births, etc.

This should be obvious, but I have heard of people taking first dates to a wedding. That’s a lot of pressure, for some folk. Especially if it involves possibly overnighting somewhere! I highly recommend you not do this. Please tell me I don’t need to say more.

Avoid family functions (graduations, picnics, birthdays, anniversarys, holidays)

Even if your family is ultra hip and laid back, this is going to make your date incredibly uncomfortable, unless you’re dating that chick from Dharma and Greg. So, if you’re not, leave this for when your relationship has had time to progress. If, for some reason, you feel compelled to ignore this advice, make sure you have an exit plan, in case it becomes unbearable for either of you.

Avoid double dating at all costs.

The odds are just against this one. Two people getting to know each other privately is hard enough, without doing it in front of two additional people also trying to get to know each other. If you do opt for this, I strongly recommend it only take place when the women (assuming women are involved in this situation) are good friends. Cos women are catty and if one of them feels insecure the whole night is going to be ruined for everyone. Stay away from these types of situations until you know your date better – you’ll both be glad you did.