This week in my Family Relations class, the primary focus was centered on dating in our culture today. I believe that dating in it's many forms are valuable to society. But, within the last several decades, dating has changed significantly. Even the definition of the word "dating" has completely changed to meaning exclusive and "unavailable." In most places in America these days, there is not much casual dating that occurs, only exclusive. I experienced that throughout my high school years in Texas, New Mexico, and California where I have lived. This lack of casual dating and increase of exclusive dating has led people to believe that it is simply the culture of our time and that there is nothing that we can do to change it. I hope that in due time, casual dating can be once again seen as valuable. It is a time where we can get to know people very well by observing them do different activities and interact in different settings. Through this dating, people can almost "shop around" in a nonthreatening and fun way to see what kind of people they could potentially marry. In exclusive dating, a person cuts themself off from other possibilities. It is good to do this when one has already passed the stage of casual dating and can visualize marriage, but not in every dating interaction. Casual dating is the traditional approach that our culture has veered from and should re-establish.
I have been working on a project for my marriage preparation class that ties right in with the things I have been reading in the chapters assigned for this class. In this project, I had to interview three females and three males between the ages of 16-23 who are not married and have casually dated a lot. I discovered the fun and excitement that has come from going on these dates. They mentioned the ability to talk to the person and get to know them by doing fun activities was an ideal way to get to know what you like in people. This kind of dating is needed in our culture today in my opinion. Just from discussing in class the positive effects of casual dating, I definitely wish it was more common because people can learn what kinds of people they best work with and therefore be on a track that will lead to finding a compatible spouse.
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