Is a lack of dating experience by 25 a turn off to women?

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Runningdude,

Yep. The OP should not be immediately blurting out, “I’ve barely dated at all and I’m 25!!!”

That seems like something to save for later.
 
when I first started dating my now husband get was 34 and had never dated anyone else. in fact he was so shy that if I hadent have perused him we wouldn’t be married right now!

if I’m honest it did creep me out a little that he hadent dated before but not enough for me to look past all his wonderful qualities or to stop me falling in love with him. In reality it’s great he had never dated anyone else I think I would be jealous!

your really young and I think because your looking for someone with similar values to you this will be an advantage to you as your future wife wont be choosing a husband based on his dating resume. all the best for the future!
 
when I first started dating my now husband get was 34 and had never dated anyone else. in fact he was so shy that if I hadent have perused him we wouldn’t be married right now!

if I’m honest it did creep me out a little that he hadent dated before but not enough for me to look past all his wonderful qualities or to stop me falling in love with him. In reality it’s great he had never dated anyone else I think I would be jealous!

your really young and I think because your looking for someone with similar values to you this will be an advantage to you as your future wife wont be choosing a husband based on his dating resume. all the best for the future!
 
If a woman considers your lack of dating to be a dealbreaker, then she isn’t someone you would want to date anyway, therefore, nothing of value is lost.

Just date and try to have fun. There’s zero reason to talk about your dating history.
 
Neither my husband nor I had much dating experience before we dated each other. And it’s not like we got married just out of high school, I was 34, he was 36 when we were married.

You don’t need “experience”, you need to pray and ask God to bring a wonderful person into your life for you to fall in love with.
 
I don’t think it would be a turn off. Honestly, that means you have less relationship-related baggage to deal with.

I don’t even know how many girlfriends my husband had before he met me, and it’s not something we really need to talk about. He dated a few girls in college, but I know none of them were very serious relationships. We met when I was 22 and he was 24. Unless you have kids, STDs, or a psychotic ex, I don’t think your dating history should be important when entering a new relationship. Others might disagree, but we’re happy not bringing it up.
 
I’m 30, and I’ve never had a romantic relationship, either. Personally, I can see how a woman might look at someone in our situation and think, “If this guy’s as great as I think he is, why doesn’t he have relationship experience? What’s wrong with him that I’m not seeing?” If a person is looking for something negative, they’ll usually be able to find it. Therefore, telling a woman about your lack of relationship experience is probably a bad idea.

That said, the biggest danger is not that your lack of experience will make a woman think there’s something wrong with you. The biggest danger is that YOU will conclude that there’s something wrong with you.

That’s more or less the trap I’ve fallen into. I keep thinking, “If there were anything appealing or attractive about me, someone would have noticed by now”. As a result, I’ve more or less given up. I don’t know what is wrong with me, so I’m powerless to change it. I don’t smell bad. I’m aesthetically pleasing, by most accounts. I’m intelligent, have a good sense of humor, am kind and caring, but also assertive. However, the fact that I have been universally rejected means that, for whatever reason, I am still unattractive, because you can’t be considered “attractive” if you don’t “attract” anyone.

The conclusion I’ve come to is that I’ve been given many gifts by God, and being attractive just isn’t one of them. I’d love to have a wife and children someday, but it’s not going to happen. I don’t have what it takes to be a boyfriend or husband, and adoption agencies are generally unwilling to put a child in the custody of a single man. I look at all the people who know what it’s like to feel desired or loved in a non-platonic way, and it hurts me to know that I can never have what so many of them seem to take for granted as a natural, normal part of life. My prayers for God to lead me to someone have not been answered, and so I just pray for God to take away my desire for romantic love. Thus far, that too has proven fruitless, but I suppose we all have our crosses to bear.
 
@ Jordu: My goodness that’s depressing. What are you saying that gets you rejected? Sometimes not actively looking for a girlfriend/future spouse can lead to a date and that one date can lead to many other dates with that one person.
 
I’m 30, and I’ve never had a romantic relationship, either. Personally, I can see how a woman might look at someone in our situation and think, “If this guy’s as great as I think he is, why doesn’t he have relationship experience? What’s wrong with him that I’m not seeing?” If a person is looking for something negative, they’ll usually be able to find it. Therefore, telling a woman about your lack of relationship experience is probably a bad idea.

That said, the biggest danger is not that your lack of experience will make a woman think there’s something wrong with you. The biggest danger is that YOU will conclude that there’s something wrong with you.

That’s more or less the trap I’ve fallen into. I keep thinking, “If there were anything appealing or attractive about me, someone would have noticed by now”. As a result, I’ve more or less given up. I don’t know what is wrong with me, so I’m powerless to change it. I don’t smell bad. I’m aesthetically pleasing, by most accounts. I’m intelligent, have a good sense of humor, am kind and caring, but also assertive. However, the fact that I have been universally rejected means that, for whatever reason, I am still unattractive, because you can’t be considered “attractive” if you don’t “attract” anyone.

The conclusion I’ve come to is that I’ve been given many gifts by God, and being attractive just isn’t one of them. I’d love to have a wife and children someday, but it’s not going to happen. I don’t have what it takes to be a boyfriend or husband, and adoption agencies are generally unwilling to put a child in the custody of a single man. I look at all the people who know what it’s like to feel desired or loved in a non-platonic way, and it hurts me to know that I can never have what so many of them seem to take for granted as a natural, normal part of life. My prayers for God to lead me to someone have not been answered, and so I just pray for God to take away my desire for romantic love. Thus far, that too has proven fruitless, but I suppose we all have our crosses to bear.
Welcome to the club Jordu! At least our lives are simpler, that is quite a gift!

Btw, another danger of lack of experience isnt that a woman or even the OP will conclude that theres something wrong, but you wont be able to conclude when there’s something wrong with the woman either and if she’s playing etc.

Many times predatory and scam artist women seek out gullible, naive, and generous men who fall in love easily. One needs to know the warning signs.
 
Welcome to the club Jordu! At least our lives are simpler, that is quite a gift!

Btw, another danger of lack of experience isnt that a woman or even the OP will conclude that theres something wrong, but you wont be able to conclude when there’s something wrong with the woman either and if she’s playing etc.

Many times predatory and scam artist women seek out gullible, naive, and generous men who fall in love easily. One needs to know the warning signs.
Okay, i must ask you what type of women have you been seeking pal? Predatory and scam artist women? Don’t get me wrong there are women who are nice and kind and truly beautiful souls who attract a lot of men who are confused and think that the woman in question likes them, but I can’t think of any woman who do it to scam men. I hope this has not happened to you, but if it was just that you liked a woman you thought liked you and she didn’t than she didn’t scam you. Even I can tell the difference between a girl just being nice and being attracted to you.

I’ll admit as negative as I am I still have hope that God will provide someone or have me achieve my vocation if marriage isn’t my call and I am sure I will be full of joy. Sadly I get the feeling thorns that you are not a joyful person. I understand it’s tough but how are we supposed to bring the light of christ to people when we aren’t joyful and feel so negative about people.
 
If you’re looking to date a devout Catholic woman, this probably won’t be an issue. For most of us, dating is not an option until later in life. This is mostly due to not seeing dating as an end unto itself.
 
Is it? I’m 25 and while i’ve had a few dates here and their, i haven’t really had a relationship with anyone. Now I know people will be sympathetic on here, but be honest, would it be a turnoff to find a 25 year old man who’d never had some sort of relationship before? I mean i had such bad self esteem issues throughout high school that I couldn’t even ask girls to dances because I thought I was a “fat ugly weird loser” and in college I focused on school but was still afraid to ask women out.

Now it feels like its the same old refrain. I’m still scared, granted now it’s my economic situation (I’m living at home getting my masters) as well as my experience. Sadly on this site I hear about guys who don’t have experience at a certain point (especially over 30) and are considered creepy, weird, odd,etc. It makes me wonder if i’m heading down that path and the path to single hood since every year less and less women are available, and at this point I won’t date someone with kids, I’m not big on dating non-catholics (only because I grew up in a house where my mother converted just to marry my dad and really didn’t do it for any other reason, though there may be exceptions) and I also won’t date lukewarm Catholics (and by lukewarm I mean don’t go to mass at least every week and disagree with church teachings).
Personally, I don’t think it would be an issue for me, if I was considering marriage… (I’m discerning another vocation). Maybe I’m just kind of tired how our society promotes promiscuity and it’s actually kind of nice to know that some people have not only kept their body pure for their future spouse, but also their heart. This could actually help a marriage be more pure, and you’re not comparing your spouse to other people you dated, etc. In the past, this wouldn’t have really been an issue at all, I think it’s just our modern world and the insistence on “dating” etc… I’ve actually never been in a relationship myself, and I’m 27, and I used to be very sad about this, but now that I’m discerning consecrated life, I’m actually glad. If a person never gave their heart to anyone and then became a consecrated person, and only EVER gave their heart to God, that is beautiful, imo. I think it’s similar with marriage… if a man can say that he never loved anyone except his wife, that is not something “negative”, that makes her unique and special in his life. So I don’t know but I don’t think this is all that negative. I’m not a very "modern’ person and my views are not modern, so maybe people with more modern views would feel differently… I think it depends on who you meet, honestly 🙂 if someone wants to date you just because you had a lot of relationships, are popular, etc, - isn’t that kind of superficial? I guess it’s “natural” to be drawn to that, but it’s also not really looking at the person more deeply.

Our society is just so focused on “experience” and getting all the experience you want to “discern” marriage, but I dont’ think that’s really how we discern marriage… I think we discern with prayer and actually getting to know a person. For example, I heard in a homily from a priest, that a Pope condemned the view that passionate kissing is only venially sinful for the unmarried… which means it’s grave matter. Yet how many people know about this? and even if they know, they might find it difficult because in our society, it’s such a popular idea… honestly, I think the best thing is not to worry too much about things that our society values, like experience with dating… I know in your post you’re concerned about being rejected because of this, but I tend to think that people are different, and there are girls who wouldn’t be bothered by this who are great Catholic girls. If all a girl cares about is how much ‘experience you had dating’, - if that is THAT important to her, that she wouldn’t even consider you otherwise - I would just wonder why that is such a big deal to her. Maybe I’m saying this because I haven’t ever been in a relationship either, - but at least this shows, that people like this are out there, and maybe you’ll find a girl who also hasn’t been in a relationship and she wouldn’t mind if you haven’t 🙂

I think if someone hasn’t dated, there could be different reasons… maybe they’re more introverted (which is fine. Introversion isn’t a bad thing). Maybe they just never found anyone. Maybe they were very busy with something else, like school, or work, or taking care of a family member. I don’t think it means they’re “odd” or a “loser”. Having a lot of relationships is not a category of “success” in life, in my opinion… having a good successful marriage might be, if that is the person’s vocation. And the person they married could have been their first boyfriend/girlfriend. Like with many other things, it’s the quality, not the quantity…

God bless!
 
=WildCatholic;12023968]Is it? I’m 25 and while i’ve had a few dates here and their, i haven’t really had a relationship with anyone. Now I know people will be sympathetic on here, but be honest, would it be a turnoff to find a 25 year old man who’d never had some sort of relationship before? I mean i had such bad self esteem issues throughout high school that I couldn’t even ask girls to dances because I thought I was a “fat ugly weird loser” and in college I focused on school but was still afraid to ask women out.
A woman worth her salt isn’t going to worry about your past dating experience. It will only be an issue if you make it one.

If things aren’t going great on a date and you’re making rookie mistakes, I suppose you can admit to not have all the dating experience in the world, but do NOT turn it into a pity party.

That will turn any good woman away in a split second.
Now it feels like its the same old refrain. I’m still scared, granted now it’s my economic situation (I’m living at home getting my masters) as well as my experience.
That’s not a problem.

But as one article suggested “don’t think she’ll be impressed if you watch the Star Wars trilogy in your Mom’s basement.”

In other words, go OUT with her and do something FUN.
Sadly on this site I hear about guys who don’t have experience at a certain point (especially over 30) and are considered creepy, weird, odd,etc.
That’s because they aren’t communicating properly with a woman.

Listen, you can’t be this stereotypical “nice guy” who is too afraid to make a move and just sit around staring at women admiring them from afar. That’s probably along the lines what they find “creepy”.

They notice those kinds of things.

Otherwise, if a guy doesn’t know how to communicate with a woman (ie he tells her he likes her right away without knowing how she feels), yeah, that’s pretty awkward for a woman because if she doesn’t feel the same way, she can get caught up in a web of “I don’t want to hurt his feelings or string him along”. Some women may even start being mean to get you to be the one to go away so it will stop.

Ugh. What a mess that can be.
It makes me wonder if i’m heading down that path and the path to single hood since every year less and less women are available,
Dude, there’s plenty of women out there! Sounds cliche…but it’s not. If you joined Catholic Match, you’d find that’s not the case.
and at this point I won’t date someone with kids, I’m not big on dating non-catholics (only because I grew up in a house where my mother converted just to marry my dad and really didn’t do it for any other reason, though there may be exceptions) and I also won’t date lukewarm Catholics (and by lukewarm I mean don’t go to mass at least every week and disagree with church teachings).
Do NOT settle! :nope:

Listen, if you don’t want to date non-Catholics or luke-warm Catholics, then don’t!

As for people with kids, well, come on! You’re 25, not a widower or annulled 45 year old.

All of this stuff about dating orthodox Catholics, people without kids or living at home while getting a degree----it’s not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be.

You just need more practice and confidence. To which I say:

Don’t think of yourself as society’s neat little “nice guy”. That kind of person can creep a girl out under the right circumstances because the “nice guy” thinks he’s going to follow the superhero routine to get the girl or that she’ll grow out of dating all the jerks (the ONLY other possibility in their narrow world view) and notice them.

All you need to do is for starters just talk to her and communicate romantically. As dating guru Marius Panzerella puts it: flirt, make her laugh, compliment her!

It’s going to take practice, but you can do it! 👍
 
First, people need, desperately, to get over dating or not dating, especially as a sign of being cool, or OK, or normal. Personally, and as a woman, I could have cared less about a guy’s dating history. I wanted to meet someone that was honest, dependable and had a sound faith foundation. I did not want a womanizer, cheat, liar and lazy lout.

A persons character is determined by much more than their dating history in high school. Frankly this is one benefit I see in “all boy” schools and “all girl” schools. Kids need to get their minds off this dating panic and focus on their education and future career options. The dating can come later and with someone that is probably going to land up being their life long partner.

So no, the lack of dating experience means nothing, at least to any woman who is worth the effort.
I agree!
 
A woman worth her salt isn’t going to worry about your past dating experience. It will only be an issue if you make it one.

If things aren’t going great on a date and you’re making rookie mistakes, I suppose you can admit to not have all the dating experience in the world, but do NOT turn it into a pity party.

That will turn any good woman away in a split second.
Agreed 👍
But as one article suggested “don’t think she’ll be impressed if you watch the Star Wars trilogy in your Mom’s basement.”
Now if it’s in YOUR basement (or entertainment room), filled with a nice well-organized collection of related artistic or literary works and she’s a fan … well, you just may have found a perfect match 😃

My true story - met my hubby through a dating service, was a tad concerned why a nice, good-looking guy who was employed with his own home was still single at age 30. But as I learned more about him and discovered the main reason was that he was somewhat picky about who he’d be willing to date, it became a big plus in my book.

Then there was the fact that he was willing to watch an animated feature with me on our first date, and he knew the names of all the supporting characters in the Warner Brothers cartoons. I discovered we had the same quirky sense of humor, a mutual love of children, and that he had a CD collection that was totally eclectic - and totally to my taste … well, how could we not fall for each other? smile

In other words - he was insistent on just being himself, and waiting for a girl who’d appreciate him for that, and it worked.

So like others have said, don’t worry about the quantity or quality of your dating past - concentrate on becoming the best “you” that you can be, making friends, building relationships of all degrees (networking) and see what happens then.
 
Agreed 👍

Now if it’s in YOUR basement (or entertainment room), filled with a nice well-organized collection of related artistic or literary works and she’s a fan … well, you just may have found a perfect match 😃

My true story - met my hubby through a dating service, was a tad concerned why a nice, good-looking guy who was employed with his own home was still single at age 30. But as I learned more about him and discovered the main reason was that he was somewhat picky about who he’d be willing to date, it became a big plus in my book.

Then there was the fact that he was willing to watch an animated feature with me on our first date, and he knew the names of all the supporting characters in the Warner Brothers cartoons. I discovered we had the same quirky sense of humor, a mutual love of children, and that he had a CD collection that was totally eclectic - and totally to my taste … well, how could we not fall for each other? smile

In other words - he was insistent on just being himself, and waiting for a girl who’d appreciate him for that, and it worked.

So like others have said, don’t worry about the quantity or quality of your dating past - concentrate on becoming the best “you” that you can be, making friends, building relationships of all degrees (networking) and see what happens then.
Wow your husband sounds awesome. Also thanks for the advice. My big problem is though that I don’t have many friends either, especially after i left college. My one good friend in all honesty a lot like me in the sense he’s kind of socially akward and all that. The only difference between him and me is that he doesn’t even care about women and wants to build a career first since he kind of had bad luck in the job market. I have other acquaintances but honestly I don’t have super close friends. Sadly I think this will be my downfall since by 25 it seems as if most people have their social groups and don’t really want to enlarge them because they are comfortable with their group of friends
. I find it sad today that in a sense we are able to have more friends through numerous opportunities, but in a sense have less friends because people are just comfortable hanging out with the same group from college or work or high school or what have you. Shoot in my dinky little town you have people who have had the same friends since elementary school
while i’m more of the loner type.
 
All things being equal, yes OP. Women generally do not like men who don’t have the stamp of pre-approval from other women on them.

Time to fix this if you have an issue with it.
 
WildCatholic said:

“I have other acquaintances but honestly I don’t have super close friends.”

One or two good friends and a medium-sized pool of acquaintances is all you need.

“Sadly I think this will be my downfall since by 25 it seems as if most people have their social groups and don’t really want to enlarge them because they are comfortable with their group of friends”

Be friendly to newcomers (but not in a weird way, of course).

Also, as people start having kids at different times, the social structures will almost certainly change–the parents will go off and do parent stuff (which often bores singles to tears), which means that remaining singles may have to broaden their social horizons. Which is where you come in.

"Shoot in my dinky little town you have people who have had the same friends since elementary school "

Move when you can?
 
WildCatholic said:

"Shoot in my dinky little town you have people who have had the same friends since elementary school "

Move when you can?
Well that’s a given 🙂 Thanks for the advice
 
. I find it sad today that in a sense we are able to have more friends through numerous opportunities, but in a sense have less friends because people are just comfortable hanging out with the same group from college or work or high school or what have you. Shoot in my dinky little town you have people who have had the same friends since elementary school
while i’m more of the loner type.
Having attended a very small Catholic grade school and high school, I understand what you mean. Groups form early and tend to remain set for the duration.

Being in a small community may make it more difficult than if you are able to relocate to a larger community later on, but I’d still say to focus on your passions, interests and hobbies - as money/time permit, make travel to conventions and events connected with them part of your life. If you meet someone and develop a relationship - excellent! And even if you don’t, you’ll meet and make more friends 🙂

BTW - nothing wrong with making a friend with whom you only share one interest (ex. I have one friend who shares my love of a particular series of books. Most other things we have different views on including the existence of God - but that’s okay, I have other friends with whom I share and grow my faith, but who have no interest whatsoever in the books I like. 🤷) Slowly building friendly relationships - even those that are limited in scope - will help with loneliness, expand the number of other people you meet, and build your confidence for future relationships - not easy, perhaps, but worth doing.
 
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