The rules are simple. One partner (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife) in the couple , the planner, is expected to initiate the date by asking the other partner to join them in some sort of activity. The other partner is expected to agree. The planner is further expected to coordinate where this activity will take place, what day and time, and if there is a cost, they are also expected to pay. The latter rule is subject to modification depending on the couple's budget and any agreements between the partners to share in the cost of the date.
Which brings us to the reason for this blog...The Plan.
The preferred activity planned most often is the Dinner and a Movie Date, but, the options are limited only by the planner's imagination and creativity, and of course, the available budget. I have seen or heard of some extremely inventive planners, but, they are few and far between. Most planners fall into several categories.
The Last Minute Planner
The Stuck in a Rut Planner
The Failure to Plan Planner
and my personal favorite, The Pass the Buck Planner
While every date night planner will have some success in keeping their relationship alive, the degree of life acheived is in direct porportion to the degree of effort expended. In the case of the majority of planners, the results are minimal. They lament that they don't understand why their partner seems dissatisfied when they are doing what they think is expected of them. They may have started out strong, but, at some point they slipped. How can you tell if you are in one of those categories? Ask yourself;
Do I wait until the day-of to make dinner reservations? Do I find myself rushing to get ready because I had other things to do that day that ran later than expected? Am I frequently settling for showtimes or bookings either later or earlier than I had wanted, or have to change plans entirely due to complete inavailability? Does my partner often have other plans on the Date Night that I didn't know about? Is my budget for Date Night out of control?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are a Last Minute Planner.
Do I have the prices at the concessions stand memorized? Does my partner order without using the restaurant menu, right down to the side dishes? Do I find myself not remembering how I got to the date location because I have driven the route so many times it's automatic? Is the budget for Date Night amazingly similar week after week? Is my list of choices for Date Night less than four things?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are a Stuck in a Rut Planner.
Does your partner have to ask you how they should dress within hours of the date? Do you find yourself asking your partner what they want to do? Does your partner often take over the task of planning for you? Do you often forget about Date Night altogether?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are a Failure to Plan Planner
Do you often have your partner make reservations for you? Do you rely on your partner to have enough money just in case you don't? Have more than two dates in the last six months been a group event planned by someone else? Do you consider visiting friends or going to an event that you like but your partner does not share your enthusiasm for to be a date?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are a Pass the Buck Planner.
Believe it or not, there really is hope for your future as a Date Night Planner, but, it will take some study and some practice before you can expect to shed your current title, or titles as the case may be. Your approach to planning a date will have to be renovated, and you may even have to fake it for a while, but, believe me, the rewards will be well worth it.
This blog will provide tips, tricks, advice, and critique of local and area date locations and events. I will try to keep it as current and useful as possible. And for those of you who are young, unmarried men, the timing couldn't be more critical. Our social networking world has taken away from your entire generation the ability to truly date. It seems you only know how to hang out, pal around, just chill. The art and science of courtship is faltering and that is why so many are finding it easier to go online, to dating websites, just to find someone. It's easy because it is a familiar place. Face to face courtship and flirting is so much harder, at least until you get the hang of it. Once you learn just a few techniques it will become easier, familiar, and even fun.
So, let's get started.
