6 Middle School Dating Trends We Need To Bring Back In 2023
Okay, middle school wasn’t exactly a good time for most. We were all in our awkward phases, dealing with puberty hormones running wild, not knowing who we are just yet, and bullying beyond belief. By almost all accounts, the middle school days should be left behind for good. And yet…there’s one area where our pre-teen selves had the right idea: Dating. Sometimes adult dating is just way too serious. These middle school dating trends should make a serious comeback.
1. Getting your friends to do the work for you.
“Hi, does your friend Jeff like my friend Sarah?” In middle school, your friends would go to bat for you, starting a chain of people just to find out if your crush liked you back. Nowadays, we’re all expected to put ourselves out there to get rejected straight from the source. Bring back the grapevine to help cushion the blow if the object of your affection isn’t feeling it.
2. Nervously revealing your crush.
Let’s be honest: We’ve never grown out of talking about our crushes. So much bonding happens when you get together with friends and talk about who you’re into–especially if everyone knows your crush. You’ll just be doing it over drinks instead of stale sleepover pizza.
3. Talking and texting until all hours of the night.
That first love? Where you stay up all night on the phone, talking for hours until your parents ground you for two days and take away your phone? Let’s bring that back (minus the grounding.) Where’d all our communication go? Let’s text about our days, talk all night about our hopes and dreams. That’s where the connections are formed.
4. Feeling giddy at holding hands.
The little moments mean something. Adulthood means that we jump whole-bodied into relationships, but what about the little things? Holding hands, first kisses under the stars, hugs that last just a little too long. We’re never too old to find these moments amazing.
5. All the double dates.
Our parents didn’t trust us to go on one-on-one dates so most of middle school was spent with the other couples. If you had a date, you had to go with another couple. Dating time was filled with co-dates. Why not bust that out now? Double dates are a great way to see if your new fling actually gets along with your friends, too. Bonus!
6. Dates that actually felt like dates.
Nowadays, dating is either meeting at a coffee shop or just a string of “Netflix and chill.” What happened to the fun date ideas of middle school? Ice skating, corn mazes, laser tag. Just because we’re all adults now, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.