Dating vs. Mating

[Laerkin]

I'm a dater.

My current relationship and my last long-term relationship turned me into a mater, though at the start that wasn't the intent. LOL. Certainly not complaining or unhappy about it, but I rarely start a relationship looking for a mate. I'm just having fun and seeing where things go...and they either go or they don't.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Kobi

At breakfast today, a group of us over 50 were discussing
the type of person
we are dating and why.
The results surprised me:

1. The type of person one dates when dating for fun
is almost diametrically different from the type one would date
when looking to mate.

Fun daters are looking for excitement,
exploration, differences, and variety.

Maters are looking for
commonalities, stability, centeredness, and monogamy.

2. Within our group, most were looking for fun rather than a mate.
Fun was equated with freedom. Mating was equated with responsibility.

So, I'm wondering what other peoples experience/preferences might be.

These friends wouldn't be the same ones that initiated your maturity thread, would they?

*grin*

I think that if you go into something, unless it's an arranged situation, specifically looking for a mate, you are setting yourself up for heartache and disappointment.

I tend to be a bit of a serial monogamist but I don't go into relationships thinking, "Oh, wow. I've found a husbutch" or that I've found my mate for life. I go into them thinking that I like this person and how they make me feel when I'm around them and maybe it would be cool to be around them more.

For me, the more complicated you make it, the worse it turns out.