Romance, Dating and Sexuality

In a romantic relationship, people like to spend time together. This is called dating. Sometimes dates happen in the community, like going to a park or out to dinner. Sometimes dates happen at home, like having a pizza delivered and watching a movie together.

Asking someone to go on a date:

If you are interested in someone and think you would like them to become your boyfriend or girlfriend, you might want to ask them to go on a date. There are different ways to do this. Let’s talk about a few examples:

In person

• “Hi Melissa!” I really like talking to you when we are volunteering together. We have a lot in common. I would like to ask you to go to a concert with me this Saturday. We both really like Adele and she will be in town. Would you like to go with me to the concert?” 
• If they say “yes,” then you make plans—you talk about transportation, the time of the date, who is paying, and any other support you might need to make this a great time.
• If they say “no,” you can ask if they would want to do something else at a different time.                               
• If they still say “no,” they might not be interested in dating you. That’s okay!

On the phone

• “Hi, Dana! This is Ben. I was wondering if you would like to go out with me sometime.
• If they say “yes,” you say, “That’s great. Let’s make a plan. Would you like to go to a movie?”
• If they say “yes," you say, “Great. How about (and you name a date)”.
• If they say “no," you can ask if there is something else they would like to do or a better day?
• If they still say “no," then they probably are not interested in dating you

By email or in a text

• “Hi Greg. Would you like to go for a walk with me or have a picnic in the park this weekend? Let me know if you’re interested. Thanks, Olivia”
• If they email you back and say yes, you can make a plan—pick a day, place, and figure out the details.
• If they say no, you can ask if there is something else that they want to do instead.
• If they still say no, they are probably not interested in dating you.
• If they do not reply, you can email or text one more time or you might want to call them or talk to them in person.
• If you try that and they still don’t reply, they probably don’t want to date you and you should not send them more messages about it.

Online

• There are online dating websites. Each one has different ways of connecting with people you are interested in. Your dating website will tell you what to do
• It might give you choices of what to say.
• If someone does not respond to you, you can try one more time to contact them. If they still don’t respond, they are probably not interested in dating you right now.