Have you ever been in that situation where you're dating a guy but you're not boyfriend/girlfriend material yet? Everybody is asking if you're in a relationship yet and you respond with "I don't know, not yet...". I've been in that situation. Dating is hard and complicated. When is it the right time to reach that stage in the dating process? Does the girl decide or does the guy decide?

Obviously, girls would want the guys to ask them to be their girlfriends, but, unfortunately, men are seemingly incapable of doing such a thing. They keep you in that awkward fling stage, never an actual relationship, for a long time until they realize they're not ready to commit to a relationship. Or they get slowly start to realize how crazy you are. Or they're too scared and nervous to ask, so you have to ask them the famous question: "So, what are we?"

First of all, where do you go to meet guys? If you're not 21, then the bar is not an option. You can go to stores such as Target. But how do you approach them once you find an attractive fella? "Hi, I think you're cute. Let's go on a date!" Heck no. I always hear stories about how couples meet at the most random place and at the most random time of their lives. Well, I don't have time to wait for my future boyfriend. As for people like me who are awkward as heck around guys, we need to find another way to go on dates. So dating apps it is.

Once you meet the "right" guy, you start to go on a couple dates and things start to get serious. You like them and they like you. You start to open up more to him and all is great. When does each of you start calling each other nicknames like "babe" or "baby"? I guess it has to come naturally in the relationship, but I feel like a lot of people are scared to be the first one to say it. Heck, I think everything comes naturally in a relationship. But why does it have to take so long?? And if it doesn't work out with one guy, you now have to start all the way at the beginning with the next one. All that getting to know one another stuff once again. I wish I could just skip that awkward stage and just get to it. If I know I like somebody and they like me, we should just be boyfriend/girlfriend material. But no, today's society established complicated rules for dating and we have to follow them.

Sooner or later, the man I'm going to marry is going to come into my life, or maybe he's already in it. I don't even know. God has a plan, and Thomas Rhett's song, "Life Changes," puts it perfectly—"You make your plans and you hear God laughing." I hope I don't have to suffer through an awkward dating stage anymore.

So here is a message to all the men out there: get out there and ask her out. Don't make her wait for something both of you want. TEXT HER BACK (for reals). Be there for her during the good times and the bad times. Make her happy because that's all she wants—to be with you.