Brutally Honest Differences Between Dating In Your Teens Vs. In Your 20s

Click next for 7 differences between dating in your teens and in your 20s. 

1. Where you meet in your teens:

In High School, your dating pool is pretty much limited to the people you know in your grade (unless you were insanely cool and dated someone who was *gasp* a grade ahead!) It also means if you break up, you have to see them in your History class every. single. day.

Where you meet in your 20s:

Fast forward to your 20s, and you're no longer limited to your immediate surroundings. Besides dating people you work with or went to university with, we now have access to the wonderful world of Tinder. Pro: Never having to see them again if the date is like one of these. Con: Meeting up with strangers is borderline terrifying.

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2. How you get together in your teens:

In high school, you enlist your best friend to your dirty work for you by getting her to ask his best friend what he thinks of you. Other (equally tragic) tactics include going out of your way to walk by his locker multiple times and pretending you don't understand your shared math homework (thank you, Mean Girls!)

How you get together in your 20s:

Nowadays, we spend our time trying to figure out whether they're into us based on their text messages. I don't know about you, but if another one of my friends asking me to analyze what the guy she's seeing means by "sup," I'm going to lose it.

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3. What you fight about in your teens:

According to your friend's lab partner's friend, your bf was acting verrry flirty with a girl in his co-ed gym class. Naturally, you confront him in front of everyone in the cafeteria, only to later make up via FB chat.

What you fight about in your 20s:

Today, a wandering eye is just as much of a problem, but it now comes in the form of an Instagram like. When your bf likes a 19-year-old's bikini photo on Instagram, you know shit is about to hit the fan.

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4. Going on dates in your teens: 

In high school, if he uses his dad's CINEPLEX Scene points to take you to a movie, you KNOW he's serious about you. Don't even get me started on the butter add on.

Going on dates in your 20s:

In your 20s, you have to deal with the awkward splitting the bill dilemma. Do I let him pay?? If I let him pay, is he going to expect something? Should I offer to pay? Is my credit card going to get denied?

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Longevity in your teens:

In high school, if you have a casual boyfriend, you're mostly concerned with ensuring that you guys make it to prom as a couple. If you're more serious, however, you probably think that he is the one and that you guys can survive anything (even 4 years of long distance at university). Um, good luck.

Longevity in your 20s:

In our 20s we're more realistic. We see can tell whether a fling should just stay a fling, or whether there could actually be a future there.

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5. Sex in your teens: 

In high school, finally having sex was the biggest deal. You spent months on the phone with your best friend trying to determine if you were ready before you actually did the deed. If you didn't listen to White Houses by Vanessa Carleton on repeat the day after you lost it, did you even have sex?

Sex in your 20s:

In your 20s, sex becomes less of a big deal. Rather than wait for a romantic first time on prom night, you're more likely to hook up on a drunken night out before you even go on your first date. Ah, romance!

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6. Spending time together in your teens:

In a teen relationship, you'll meet up once a week to make out in the park between both of your houses. Most of your actual time spent talking is probably done over text or Facebook chat.

Spending time together in your 20s:

In your 20s, you probably spend so much time together that you practically live together, only you don't because you're not quite ready for that official step.

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7.  Gossiping in your teens:

In high school, you spend all of your time gossiping about your boyfriend with friends, filling them in on every detail of your most recent phone call with him.

Gossiping in your 20s: 

When you get older, however, you probably use your boyfriend as an outlet to vent about all of the annoying shit your friends do. If he doesn't take your side in a fight with your BFF over who is the Tina vs. Amy in your relationship, you're going to have a big problem.

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