Dating at this point wouldn't even be the right label to identify what is going on between 20-something-year-olds these days.
There are few (if any) actual dates taking place, and even fewer people actually know what a date is anymore. Asking me to go downtown with you on a Friday night is not a date. Fun, but not a date. I can not tell you the last time a young man asked me to go grab a burger or even go see a movie. Instead they ask you want to come over and hang out in their uncleaned bedroom and "watch Netflix"– this is not romantic, people!
Now, don't think I'm blaming this on the guys of my age solely; someone, a couple of someones, had to say yes to 'Netflix and Chill' for it to become so popular. We as women have such low standards for men these days that the second they invite us over we're in the car on the way. I understand taking a girl out can be expensive, but take her for coffee, it's $5! We don't care about the amount spent but the amount of thought put in.
I'm not against meeting downtown for a few drinks, that actually sounds fun to me; an easy environment to get to know someone while loosening up a little bit. Until the end of the night, and since he had spent all of $20 on your drinks you're suppose to go home with him. So, you then tell him you aren't interested in going back to his house and he's completely confused why you aren't more interested.
Or you go home with him, and you have a sleepover. Now what? You're confused and not sure what is going on. He starts to assume he's crashing at your place after every time he drinks. So you're hanging out all the time now, but you are still just friends. This isn't dating. You aren't in a relationship. You are not expected to develop feelings.
This is not normal.
It has to stop being the norm to sleep over after the first (or second or third) time you two hang out; it is not normal!
Get to know each other first. Take the time to take her out on a dinner date. Talk about your similarities, your differences, your mutual friends. TALK! We as a generation have to stop texting and snap chatting everything we do; it leaves so little to talk about at the end of the day.
Stop swiping left and right. Stop texting all day. Pick up the phone, go meet at a park. Ask the cute girl for their number instead of asking their roommate for it.
Dating isn't dead.
