Dancing is a great activity! It is a lot of fun for just about everyone. You get to listen to music you like with other people who like your music. You get to hang out with your friends, enjoy a few drinks and maybe even meet someone. When going dancing, there are a few things you may want to remember though. These things can help to keep you safe and ensure a good time.

Never drink and drive. I know that it is a lot of fun to have a few drinks while you are dancing. These drinks have a tendency to lower your inhibitions and reaction times. They are great for the dance floor because you do not feel uptight or concerned about how you look to others. They help you to relax and enjoy yourself.

I am not going to say that you should not drink when you go dancing because I know how fun it is to have a few drinks while you are out. I am going to suggest that you limit how much you drink to just a few or have someone in the group be the designated driver. Take turns so no one has to be the one drinking virgin drinks every time you guys go out. When it is your turn to be the DD, bring a camera… it’s a lot of fun to take photos and videos of your friends being drunk.

Do not go home with anyone you do not know. I know that the dance floor is a common place to hook up. However, if you do not know the person, do not trust them to take you home or tell you the truth. There are too many times that people will hook up with someone and then regret it in the morning. There are also too many times when the person you are hooking up with has an STD that they “forgot” to mention or they turn out to be creeps.

Instead of instantly hooking up, consider taking their number and getting to know them first. Not only will this help them to respect you, but it will also help you to determine if you really want to be with them. This is a safe idea and one that you will not regret in the morning or even years down the road.

Dress well. This should go without having to be mentioned, but there are too many people who wear either too little when dancing or they wear unflattering outfits. Consider wearing a cute dress and ballet shoes. If you are a guy, pull up your pants, put on a belt and a nice shirt before you go out. If you are going to a “club” consider checking to see if they have a dress code. It is awfully embarrassing to get to the club and be turned back because your pants are too baggy, hang too low or your hoody is not allowed. (Trust me on this one.)

Bring friends when going dancing. Do not assume that you will be comfortable dancing alone. Do not assume that you will find someone to dance with and that you will be okay alone. Dancing is generally a group activity and it can be a lot more fun to do so in a group. It can be intimidating for men to approach a group of women to ask one to dance, but if he’s not willing to risk it, is he really worth your time. Men, groups of women will not eat you. Do not be afraid to approach them. 

The dog has long moved from the yard to the bedroom. No longer are dogs viewed as property or simply a means of protecting the home. Dogs have become surrogate children and best friends. They have their “parents” wrapped around their paws and hearts. Most people will admit to being more willing to leave their partner than the dog. This was agreed upon across the board, not just something that men say.

There are a lot of reasons that this may be occurring. The average person is leaving their family’s home young and not returning, causing them to be lonely. The marriage age is increasing, as is the age of parenting. Most people are more career-minded than they have ever been before and simply do not have time for children. The dog has filled this void left by a lack of children and, while not replacing the need for children, is being our child.

With this in mind, people are making it clear that their dog has to like their potential partner in order for the relationship to continue. This has led to an increasing number of dates that involve the dog. These dates can be trips to the dog park, eating at a dog friendly restaurant and long walks.

There are some things to keep in mind when bringing Fido on a date. The most important thing is to be sure that the dog is allowed wherever you are going. Keep in mind is your partner’s plans. He or she may not want the dog on the date if they were planning on coming back to their place. Do not assume that they will assume that the dog is coming on the date too. Be sure to discuss this with the person. There is not much worse than having a date ruined because of bad communication.

Do not ever leave a dog in a parked car. The inside of the car can quickly become too hot for the dog. If the car is on for air conditioning, the dog can knock it out of gear and take an impromptu drive. Pick up any mess the dog makes and always provide the dog with plenty of water. Do not feed the dog too much before the date. Too much food, paired with the excitement of the date and the car ride can cause a dog to get sick and puke. This can be a date stopper.

There is a phrase out there that I am inclined to believe. “Nice guys always finish last.” I firmly believe that, but it’s not for the reason most people think. There are two ways that the nice guy finishes last and one is good, the other, well, we’ll work on that. Either way, it’s always better to be the nice guy, than the bad guy.

Nice guys finish last. Well, let’s take a look at the positive of this statement first. Nice guys are the last guys that a woman goes out with. Nice guys are the ones that get married, develop strong family ties, and go on to live great lives. It is the nice guy that finishes a girl’s dating life, but not her romancing life. The nice guy knows how to keep her happy and take care of a woman. Not to say that the bad guy can’t do this, but it’s usually when he’s being the nice guy that it works.

Nice guys finish last is also true in a negative sense as well. Nice guys tend to be the ones who are less likely to pursue a girl. This is not necessarily a bad thing in that people should not feel as though they are being harassed, but it can be bad if the girl is waiting for him to contact her. Nice guys are also less likely to be protective when approached by a guy who might have interest in the girl. This is often contrary to what women are looking for.

Should you stop being the nice guy? NO! Be who you are. If you are nice, be nice. Women do like nice guys and enjoy having a man that they can rely on. If you are nice, you will earn her respect and the respect of her friends. Do not fall into the trap of being someone you are not in order to attract a girl. Once she learns that you lied about who you are, there is no going back and she will not forgive. 

Ok, so you’ve had this awesome date. Congrats! Now what are you going to do? Call him/her? See if they want to hang out tomorrow? Or are you going to wait three days to talk to this special someone? Do you wait to see what they are going to do and if they are going to contact you first? Well, this is where the confusion seems to develop for most people. They are unsure if they should wait several days to call someone after a date or if they should call them the next day. After all, you do not want them to feel that you were not interested, but you also do not want to feel that you are pushy.

There is, unfortunately, no set rule for when to contact a person, but there are some rules to follow about contacting that person. First, do not be afraid to be the person doing the initial contact. If you wait for that person to contact you first, you  may be waiting for a long time. He or she may be waiting for you, and imagine all the fun you missed because you both were waiting. Call him or her first!

Do not harass a person. I know a friend who called his potential girlfriend 10 times a day. He did it because he thought that maybe she did not know he had called earlier and therefore continued in hopes that she would answer the phone. What he didn’t know is that she had been called into work and knew he called, but could not call him right back. What did this tell her about him? It told her that he may be controlling and potentially demanding. They ended up not going out.

A good rule of thumb is that if you get the voicemail or answering machine, you leave a nice message. Then once you have called, give the person a couple days to respond. They may be very busy the day you call and may not be able to call you back immediately. Give the person some time. If they are interested in you, they will call you as soon as they are able to call you. Do NOT keep calling. This can scare people and can be viewed as harassing, even if it is friendly.