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Maybe This is Hurting Your Chances to Find Love.
Are Cell Phones Present on Your Dates?
Remember the days when we had to stop at a pay phone to call our friends? Then Pagers came out, wow, what a cool idea! Now when someone is trying to get a hold of us we will know immediately then all we have to do is find a pay phone and call them back at the number they just left. Now we have smart phones and the ultimate iPhones came out. They have all the features and you don't even need to type your text messages anymore. The problem is when we become so reliant on them that we forget the important things in life such as real face to face conversation or at the very least a phone call so you can hear the other persons voice.
Ever Been Interrupted?
How many times have you been talking to someone face to face and their phone buzzes or the familiar text tone sounds off and immediately they look down to see who it is and start reading the text? Worse yet they start texting them back and then look up and say "Huh". Now the person right in front of them now becomes second to their phone conversation so they entirely ignore you and what you're saying. I know it sounds crazy but have you ever tried to go somewhere and deliberately left your cell phone at home? If not you should try it sometime, you'll have better conversation, enjoy the scenery more and best of all you'll realize that we really don't need technology...it needs us. Don't get me wrong I am pro technology but when I look at my $200 cell phone bill I always wonder if I could go back to the days of a regular cell phone. How about you, could you go back to the more simple days of technology or do you even want to?
Texting is a Great Way to Miscommunicate.
Have you ever sent a text only to have someone get mad or offended by it when you didn't mean it to sound the way they took it? Too many times I've seen people mus-interpret a text from someone where that person didn't mean it to come across in the way the recipient perceived it. A simple phone call with the same message would come across entirely different because you can hear the tone of voice the person intends to use. This is lost in translation through text messages.This isn't the biggest problem however, the problem lies when we become so dependent on technology that it takes the social aspect of life and sets it aside. If you can't sit down for dinner without texting or checking your Facebook page then you are co-dependent on your Phone.
Have Some Respect For Others
Nothing bothers me more than to see two people sitting at a dinner table, obviously on a date and texting away. Whether you're on your first date or have been together 25 years, cell phones should stay in the purse or pocket during times like these. This will not only make you interact with the other party but it will make your relationship grow without resentment. There is no better way to suck the conversation out of the date than with cell phones. When I get together with my friends we all put our cell phones on the table and the first one to pick up their phone when it buzzes or rings has to pay the bill. This is a good way to keep the conversation going without interruption. You'll be surprised at how this simple yet effective practice can have a favorable effect on your outing.
What About Emergency Standby?
What about in the case where you have kids with a babysitter? This is the excuse given by many, that they have to have their phones in case of an emergency call from the kids or babysitter. If this is the case you can give your kids or baby sitter a code to use in case of an emergency and just keep your phone in view on the table. A glance down when the phone buzzes can tell you if it is urgent or something that can wait until after dinner. The hardest part is trying to get your kids to abide by the rules and not send an emergency text because the other sibling may be arguing with them. This will always be a challenge as kids will be kids however, single people without kids should place their phone in their purse for an hour or two while on their date.
Take our Poll
How Often Do You Use Your Cell Phone On Dates?
What did you answer?
Like most the answer to the question above is either 75% or 100% of the time we use our cell phones on a date. If you're in the lower half then you're on the right track and maybe just haven't found the right person. For the upper half you need to be more conscious of the person sitting in front of you and give them all your attention. The best dates are when the other person makes you feel like your the only one in the room and conversation is important to them. Without this, the initial observation is that the other party is not really listening to what you have to say nor are they even interested. This may or may not be the case however, this is the feeling you portray when using your cell phone even for a minute. Of course, if you're not really interested then this may be a good way to sabotage the date from the beginning. Now I'm not advocating doing this because I think everyone should get some respect however, it's just a thought. If you're truly not interested in the person I think they deserve to be told so there are no missed signals in the future.