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Drawing lines – and not in sand

This has been the subject of conversation at work for the last two days. It has also overflowed in to discussions on Twitter. The question is…

Where is the line that distinguishes ‘dating’ from being ‘in a relationship’?

Not in a Facebook ‘push-button’ kind of way. this is a real-life question.

If you have been out, for a few dates, with someone. And you really like them. What is the point that marks the shift from ‘dating’ each other to being ‘in a relationship’ with them?

What is the factor that says ‘beyond this point you are no longer X, you are Y’?

Answers on a postcard, please.

6 thoughts on “Drawing lines – and not in sand”

  1. I’ve run out of postcards. Sorry.

    Well, I reckon…

    Dating is going out together for fun and getting to know each other better. At this stage, it’s still OK to see other people.

    I’d say that you are in a relationship, once you have decided to make a commitment to each other and not see others.

  2. As I said on twitter – seeing someone becomes a relationship once you’ve had “the talk”. There’s no specific time, place or subject of “the talk” but you know it when you’ve had it. It basically tends to meander around the fact that you both like each other and you’d like to continue seeing each other more seriously. In my (limited) experience, it tends to come a month or so after you first start “seeing” someone regularly. And by regularly, I mean a couple of times a week.

    You’re welcome.

  3. I agree with both Masher and Nuttycow. It is a relationship when you are no longer seeing other people. I would like to add that for me it is also when it is implied that you will be spending time together on the weekends and such.

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