9 Things Our Parents Didn’t Have To Worry About When Dating

1. The obvious: social media stalking. Nowadays, we go into a date with a million different judgements already made based on their various social media accounts. In our parents day and age, information was disclosed as a matter of choice- not with the click of a mouse.

2. They were almost always asked out in person: ASAP. If someone liked someone else, they couldn’t get their phone number and let things linger with flirty texts. They had to ask them out right then and there, because they had no idea if/when they would see them again or how to get in contact with them. That seems a lot more romantic than the way we do things.

3. In the days before the hookup generation, it wasn’t nearly as hard to define a relationship. Either we’re together or not. Now, there are about six or seven different labels that two people can put on the pairing: and half the time the two don’t see eye-to-eye.

4. Deciphering every word, punctuation, and Emoji used in a text message.

5. Spending so much time Google’ing “How to Ask Someone Out” or “Signs That A Guy/Girl Likes You” that by the time you’ve done all the research, you’ve missed the opportunity.

6. To make it Facebook Official or not to make it Facebook Official?

7. The couple TV series rituals in which you cannot watch an episode without your significant other — OR ELSE.

8. All of those hookup apps and all of the aftermath that comes with them.

9. The general hectic and fast-paced nature of our lives that makes us wonder if we’ll ever find someone. Given the fact that we are physically pained at having to wait more than 5 minutes for a cup of coffee, how do we comprehend waiting for love?