If you trace the evolution of relationships, the whole dating game is where the confusion starts. Think about it: first you go on a "date". Then, after several dates and the mutual understanding that you and the designated other are interested, you start "dating". Then after you continue dating for awhile, you decide to pursue a "relationship". Because remember, dating is not all inclusive. Maybe that's what makes dating fun. Because until you and this other person commit, you can date other people.
Before the outbreak of AIDS, dating fun was a lot more...well...FUN. In fact the thing that made dating fun was this commitment-free lifestyle. Kind of like, cross pollination for lack of a better metaphor. It hasn't been that long ago when I was deep into the whole dating scene. Life was a lot simpler than. Dating fun was a past time. Over the course of a lot of dates, I had more than my share of funny dating moments. Like the girl that got drunk after 1 martini. I mean silly drunk. Then she turned into a stupid drunk. Come to think of it, that was not exactly a funny dating experience.
Early on, I used to try and meet and date funny women. Because laughter is a precious thing. But I found that when I would date funny women, the laughter often times wound up being an excuse for intimacy. And that isn't a laughing matter. I love one-liners and I love to laugh. But please, not when I'm on the brink of a rollercoaster ride of passion. Which reminds me of yet another funny dating moment: The girl who would laugh hysterically when she had an orgasm. I've been with a few women who cry when they are taken over the edge. I mean sobbing, crocodile-tear crying. That in itself is a real moral booster. To know that you have that effect on a person. But when they start laughing uncontrollably? I'm not sure that's a compliment. I don't classify that as dating fun.
It's no wonder then, that dating is confusing. My daughter is at that age when pretty soon she is going to be deep in to this whole dating thing. I'd like to be able to give her advice regarding dating fun, but I guess the times have changed. I've asked her what dating fun means to her. Fortunately she is still at the stage when just going out is fun. For young kids anything is fun. She'll learn though. She'll argue with her boyfriend and will cry and pout. And then it won't be dating fun anymore. And I - as her father - will be forced to beat the young man within an inch of his life. Well, maybe it won't come to that. Especially if he's bigger than I am.
Dating fun is linked to fun dates. But what constitutes a fun date? Eating ice cream? That's fun. Roller Skating? Been there, done that. Going to a movie? Sitting in the dark with a stranger isn't really fun. Well, it is if you're both naked. Anyway, you always want to be considered "fun" in the eyes of the person sitting across from you. Because if you're a fun date, than you'll have other dates with that special someone. And more fun dates with the same person will usually lead to more "fun" with that person.
And more fun is what it's all about. It's what dating should be about. There's an old saying that goes, "fun is where you find it". If you can find fun with a member of the opposite sex, then you're really on to something.