Dating do’s and don’ts - Advice from a female dating connoisseur

By Love and Relationships Staff

An old female friend of mine loves dating. She goes out for more dinners and drinks with the opposite sex in any fortnight than I do in a year. And as a reporter with ethics I’m not prone to exaggeration.

So I called her up.
“Sophie, it’s Dave. You know how I’m doing a bit of writing for that awesome website?”
If Sophie had have been in the same room I swear she would have leapt on me. I knew I should have asked her in person.
“Oh Dave, I thought you’d never ask. Of course I’ll tell you all about what guys should and shouldn’t do on a date.”

The following Saturday Sophie managed to sandwich me in for a drink between her walking along the beach date, and her dinner date at a swanky little Italian joint in the city.

It was my one and only “date” of that week, but I didn’t tell her that. As you can imagine, I listened intently, and wrote down everything she said. Just for you guys of course. And you never know, maybe I’ll keep her advice in mind on my next date, whenever that might be.

Sophie the serial dater Do’s and Don’ts on a first date

Do’s

- Do admit to nerves on a first date.
This one surprised me, so I quizzed Sophie more.
And she told me that it’s ok to be nervous. And if you are nervous and can’t hide it, just come out and say it. Nerves can even be endearing, she reckons. I told her that I didn’t know she had a motherly streak in her, but she reckons that most girls do. Somewhere.

- Do ask questions.
Sophie told me she’s been on so many dates when the lad has talked the whole time. Even if it’s interesting for a while, the experience is pretty unfulfilling. Show an interest in your date. Otherwise, no second date.

- Do listen to the answers.
And it isn’t enough just to ask the questions, you actually have to listen to the answers. And not always bring the conversation back to yourself. Going too far you reckon? Well if you want to see here again, that’s the game you gotta play.

- Smell nice.
Obvious you say, but not always the case according to our # 1 serial dater.

- Have a positive attitude.
Sure your boss is trying to fire you, and your flatmate is a psycho. Just don’t tell her about it, or if you do, make it seem like you are coping. Nobody likes a moaner.

- Do disclose if you’ve got children
“What?” I said. “But what about not talking about past relationships?”
Apparently honesty is the best policy. Generally that is, but just don’t talk about former girlfriends. Yes, that’s right. Talk about the children while ignoring the obvious fact that they have a mother, who at one point you must have known quite well.


Don’ts

- Don’t go in for a snog at the table.
Sure she’s looking hot and the way that she’s sliding that raw oyster down her throat is driving your emotions wild, but don’t do it. It just comes across as a bit weird, apparently. (I made a special note of this one, and tried to keep my eyes off Sophie as she nibbled away at a chicken wing).

- Don’t ask when you are going to have sex.
Yep, obviously some of you guys out there do that sort of thing? Well don’t. With a question like that you won’t be getting any.

- Don’t talk about your ex girlfriend.
This is easy, right. Well apparently lots of blokes just don’t get it.

- Don’t talk about your ex girlfriend.
It’s written here a second time just to remind you. Don’t do it.


By this stage I was on my second beer, and was just starting to get interested. But Sophie had somewhere to be. Well actually she had to go home first and get changed, and put make up on so she would look real hot for the bloke who was taking her to the intimate Italian.

She got up, kissed me on the cheek, and pranced out of the bar. I sat down, took a swig of beer and looked down at my notes. At the next table over a girl in a tight top popped an olive into her mouth.

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