I'm going to admit something: I met my current boyfriend through Tinder. I know, it sounds like I'm being naive or ignorant, but I would expect these reactions if I ever told anyone this. This was why I have always been embarrassed to admit that I met my current boyfriend on Tinder. However, I would be lying if I said that this was not the best relationship I have ever been in during my life.

When people think of Tinder, they think of all the horror stories that other people tell about how horrible their dates were or about how the dates did not go as expected, or in some cases, how the dates would lead to abuse. While I only had two Tinder dates my entire life, and I will admit that the first one I had was not necessarily the greatest date I ever had, my second Tinder date (with my current boyfriend) was what truly taught me a whole new side to Tinder that I never saw before.

Before I started using Tinder, I was very hesitant about it at first because all I was hearing was the horror stories about Tinder and even a former friend of mine was abused during a Tinder date. These stories were enough to turn me off from using Tinder altogether because I have been abused in a previous relationship earlier in college and I did not want to put myself in those dangers again. I did say that my first Tinder date was not necessarily the best date I've ever had, but that was because the boy I was with reminded me too much of a friend of mine that I was not attracted to and the conversations we had mostly gone nowhere. My second Tinder date was what gave me a whole new perspective on dating apps.

When my date told me that he would like to take me into the city, I was both unsure and excited at the same time. I was excited because I love the city and I don't go very often and unsure because this date could go either way. After my date and I were done with dinner, and he pulled me over for a kiss, that was when I knew that Tinder (and dating apps in general) do not have to be all bad and can sometimes be a great experience if you have a great date.

The one thing I would absolutely say is that everyone's experiences with dating apps will be different in the long run. Not everyone will have a bad experience with a dating app and they should not be shamed if they did meet a significant other through a dating app. With that being said, that does not mean that you should not be careful when dealing with these dating apps. There are still a lot of scary people out there and that should be taken with caution. However, not everyone that uses a dating app is a monster and you don't have to feel embarrassed for using one.