Miss Slik's Guide to Dating: The 3 Date Rule

So I'm always gone for a minute, but I think ya'll are used to that by now so I'm just going to stop apologizing for it. Still doesn't mean I don't feel bad and love you and blah blah blah... But sometimes I need breaks to find new inspiration for shit so I'm not boring you or flipping out when I'm dealing with drama and making things worse in my everyday actual life by blasting people on the internet. Anyway...

Ok... So when last we left off, in Miss Slik's Dating Advice: The 48 Hour Rule we explored the question of how long you should wait when the person you've been talking to stops talking to you before you move on. Well, today kids I'm going to weigh in on another pressing dating question that plagues women everywhere every day including tonight since it is a date night... How long should you wait before you have sex with somebody you've just started dating?

In this day and age of a million dating sites and apps and whatnot, if you are a single person you could probably successfully line up at least one date for every night of the week. I know because I've done it and between nice dinners and nice leftovers haven't had to go food shopping for weeks at a time. But I needed a way to weed out the ones who were actually worth more than just some nice leftovers. I also can't bang my way through the internet for a multitude of reasons. So I came up with my own rule where I arbitrarily decided that I would give up the goodies after a certain number of dates.

Speaking of which, this particular post was sort of inspired by the date I went on last weekend with the latest dude I've been "talking to" who I did meet through Tinder. Now I told him this post wasn't about him.. and it's not.. which alleviated his momentary anxiety when I told him I was writing a blog article since he knows about my dating douchebags segments. However, I did not say that he was not mentioned nor did I say I wouldn't discuss our date sooo...

And the date went Ok.. I guess. He isn't my usual type, but he's definitely very cute.. like so dreamy I just want to put a poster of him above my bed and draw star hearts on it. He's a guitarist in a local band so we have the music thing in common. We also both like to read and have fairly unique personalities. However, he did go on this rant when I asked him about his last relationship and said things to the effect of thinking he was genetically predisposed to not having deeper feelings for people and also that he's not a big fan of monogamy... all of which I think is bullshit and something he should never tell another woman ever again ESPECIALLY on a first date whether he honestly believes it or not. To me it came off kind of like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is talking to Jerry's virgin girlfriend about how guys plan exit strategies during dinner by saying shit like "Yada yada yada.. I have to get up super early tomorrow."

Under normal circumstances, I'd run. But, after he finished his rant, we did have an interesting discussion about metal cards and stock portfolios and yachts and shit that got me kinda hot cause on some level I am a money bitch.. which then lead to subsequent fun after we left the restaurant... where I then discovered we have another thing in common. He has a big dick and as ya'll know I am a huge fan of dudes with big dicks.. Totally had to go in on that.

However, I don't fuck on the first night... anymore (For those of you out there laughing right now because you know me well, you're right and shut the fuck up).. So I managed to maintain some self control and refrain from letting him go all the way. He tried though and he's sneaky so this definitely tested my level of restraint in ways you can't imagine especially since I'm in the midst of a 5 month dry spell.. Bygones... While we were getting slightly intimate though, I was debating on whether or not I should tell him about my Three Date Rule. I didn't. So if he reads this then I guess now he'll know and he better because there will be a quiz at the end.

For real, there are a lot of scandalous, creeper dickheads out there who have massive, deep-rooted psychological issues that run more games than Charles Town Races and Slots. There are also a lot of noncommittal dudes with Peter Pan syndromes who just don't know what they want and feel like they need to sample everything before they finally make up their minds (Pretty sure dude is in the latter category)... But being dudes, they aren't going to turn down sex if you just offer it up like it's nothing. So I don't make the offer... I just dangle it at a future finite point and let them decide if they want to meet the criteria I set forth to get it in.

This one is a toughy because the truth is there isn't really any exact right amount of time to wait since everyone and every relationship is different. Some people, including myself, have had sex on the first night and it resulted in a long term relationship. Others, again including myself, have banged people on the first night and have never heard from them again... or have had to involve the FCPD to get them to leave me alone.

There are also several schools of thought which dictate appropriate amounts of time for various reasons...

Some people of the religious variety choose to wait until marriage... I am not one of those people and if you're reading this you probably aren't either. There is nothing wrong with that if you are though because sex can lose its magic specialness when you have too much of it too soon with shitty people who ruin it for you. But if you're going to wait then you had best make damn sure you pick a great one or you've just shot that waiting all to hell.

Millionaire Matchmaker, Patty Stanger, says you should wait to have sex until you are in a committed, monogamous relationship. There is merit in that. People don't have to commit to you while you're casually dating around and there is no harm in getting to know somebody while they explore their options and you explore yours. Then if you decide that you want to be together you can have that exclusivity discussion and whatnot. But in the meantime, just don't put yourself in a situation where that is going to make a difference to you by fucking them. However, getting to that point takes time.. during which you're not getting any.. which may or may not appeal to you.

The rule is also subjective in that it doesn't put a finite wait time on it. Plus there is no stipulation regarding the level of commitment... other than committing not to fuck other people. I don't need a promise of eternal togetherness before I bang a dude.. In fact, offering me that prematurely will send me running. Personally, I refuse to commit to anyone until I've taken them for a test drive. I'm sorry, but good sex is an extremely important part of a healthy romantic relationship. So if dude can't put it down in the bedroom properly then I could really give a fuck about how great every other aspect is in said relationship.

Then, if we refer to my favorite dating Bible "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man", my dating guru Steve Harvey says you should abide by the "Three Month Rule". I have 3 words for that... NO FUCKING WAY. No fucking way am I staying celibate for 3 whole months. I'm already in a 5 month dry spell and getting damn close to fucking the wall. If I add 3 more months to that people could die. However, this rule does have merit as well because it has a clear timeline and places more value on your cookie jar. If a man is willing to wait and get to know you for 3 whole months without sex then he has earned your benefits you offer... like a job.

I went ahead and cut that down and instead of 3 months, I decided 3 dates is sufficient.

The THREE DATE RULE:
The three date rule stipulates that no sexual intercourse will take place prior to the end of the third date activity. Upon return from said third date activity then sexual intercourse can and probably will take place (provided you didn't manage to turn me off on the 3rd date, which has happened a few times).

That means we go out on 1, 2, 3 actual dates and do shit and then when you bring me home you can have whatever is on the menu... and my menu is like The Cheesecake Factory menu. It's several pages long. There really isn't much that's not on it and it definitely has at least one special thing to please just about everyone.

So why did I arbitrarily decide that 3 dates is the magic amount of time? Well, they say that one is just one, 2 is a coincidence, and 3 is the establishment of a pattern. Plus, personally, I think a 3 Date Rule is pretty standard. Also, if you're actually paying attention to someone then you can learn a lot about them in just 3 encounters.

It's not just about the getting to know someone though. It's also about demonstrations of worth. Referring back to "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" there is a part that talks about placing a high value on yourself. If I'm not worth a few plates of food to you then why the fuck would I give you the entire Cheesecake Factory menu?! Let me break it down even further though because I do in fact place a super high value on my vagina and here is why...

I call my pussy "The Truth" because YOU can't handle it! I'm not sure what it is about my vagina that somehow turns seemingly normal, well-adjusted dudes into psychos and drives sane dudes to the point of needing involuntary commitment to psychiatric facilities. But, it is possible that, perhaps unbeknownst to me, my vagina smells like sunshine and flowers, tastes like candy, is covered in glitter (that I do actually know about), contains the Holy Grail, has unicorns fly out of it, hides the entrance to the magical land of Narnia, and is the key to eternal happiness and everlasting world peace.

This is why the overwhelming majority of men I have had sex with always come back for more... even if I don't want them to. I also worked hard to hone the skills on that menu and take great pride in demonstrating said skills on those who have earned it. Not to mention I'm just super awesome as a person in life. Why would I not expect food and activities and your time in return for all that? Can't be giving that shit away for free to unworthy douches who did not put in work to earn it.

Now that's not to say that you need to refrain from all intimacy on Dates One and 2. I'm no virgin and my Three Date Rule by no means is about being prude. There is nothing wrong with what I like to call "Previews". Go ahead and give him a sample of what you're working with that leaves him wanting more. Show him how you mind those stepchildren. See if he returns the favor. Previews aid in your decision of whether or not you'd like to have that 3rd date.. Cause if he ain't packing and/or putting the spit shine on it properly then we ain't going out again.

As far as the timeline for this goes, the 3 dates do have to be on 3 separate days. I say this because I've been asked by dudes if they can get all 3 dates in in one day. No, you can't. They need to be on 3 separate days. But, there is no stipulation as to the spacing of those days. They could be in a row or several days or weeks apart. So, basically if I meet a dude tonight and he takes me out Saturday, Sunday, and Monday then we could in theory be fucking by Monday night because he would've met the criteria. I will warn you that doing it in what I call the "Crash Course Way" can have its drawbacks and benefits. That is a lot of me and a lot of you in just 72 hours and we will get to know each other very well. By the 72nd hour, you'll either love me or I'll have killed you.

With any rule there are also loopholes... I refer to mine as "The Red Lobster Loophole". Everyone knows I'm a total slut for Red Lobster. Take me to Lobsterfest and buy me lobster and you can have whatever you want any way you want any time you want. It's cool. But, I don't let just anyone take me to Red Lobster. Some dudes who know that have asked and I've been like "Nah, I don't think so. I need to get to know you better before we involve cheddar bay biscuits in this scenario."

Red Lobster is usually a suggestion of a dinner date place I make that let's a dude who does know what that means know I'm trying to let him get it. Sometimes I'm not feelin RL though so I have a couple other equivalent places like Sakura. Add to my porcelain cup collection and it is so on. Ruth's Chris is also another place cause good steak always puts me in the mood.

The other loophole would be if we ran off to Vegas the night we meet and get married. In that case, I would definitely say we've satisfied Patti Stanger's criteria of being in a committed, monogamous relationship which means we can consummate the shit out of our marriage and then go do some gambling. But I have only run across like maybe one guy ever that I'd have actually considered doing that with so I wouldn't bank on using that loophole.

Anyway, the Three Date Rule has worked for me so far. You'd be surprised how few of the dudes have actually made it to the 3rd date though. Usually they kill it by the 2nd.. So prepare yourself to be a little frustrated. Also, just because a dude makes it to the end of a 3rd date doesn't necessarily mean you need to give it up if you're not ready. This rule is really more about validating behavior without feeling like a hooker. So if that's you and tonight just happens to be your 3rd date with someone then remember to shave your legs beforehand and get it gurrrl! In the meantime, current dude still has a couple more dates to get out of the way before he enters my magical land of Narnia so we'll see how that plays out.