Don’t bend these (dating) rules

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian recently mentioned that her husband Kanye West laid down a rather stringent rule when they were dating: he banned her from checking her phone while they were out together. While Kanye had his own method of ensuring that his dates with Kim were of the “quality time” variety, most people do have a “trigger” that one undesirable trait that might act as a major turn-off. In such a scenario, establishing some ground rules is definitely helpful.  

Respect your date’s time by paying complete attention to what he/she has to say this seems to be the most common “rule” most people have. “If we have taken time out of out of our schedules to meet and talk, we might as well give each other our full attention,” says singer Sonu Kakkar. Television actress Preetika Rao echoes the sentiment. She says, “I wouldn’t like my man to check other women out when he is with me. It is disrespectful for both the (other) girl and me.”

And lest you think it’s a “girl thing” to want your date’s undivided attention, think again: Model and actor, Freddy Daruwala, who was last seen in Holiday, says, “I dislike girls who take their phone to be their best friend; I cannot tolerate the habit of someone checking her cellphone constantly.”  And if gossiping is your way of passing the time, think again before you indulge in it on your first date. “I would hate it if my date chooses to tittle-tattle,” says choreographer Terence Lewis. “We are on a date to know more about each other, not about other people.”

While the tendency is to focus on impressing your date by being courteous etc. they might actually be paying more attention to how you treat others. Is your behaviour to the serving staff at a restaurant, for instance, as courteous as it is to your date? RJ Malishka, who was seen on the most recent season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, says, “I really do judge people on the basis of how they treat those who serve them. In my experience, a guy who is good with you, but won’t be nice to someone who may not be considered to be in the same ‘league’ as you, can turn out to be a bad apple eventually”. Actor Siddhant Karnick too feels the same way: “I will deal with someone who has hygiene issues but a date who isn’t courteous to the staff isn’t worth taking it ahead with.”

While you could be a social media addict, you may want to consider putting your live posting on hold while on a date. TV show host Cyrus Sahukar says, “Posting photos on Twitter while on a date is one of the biggest deal breakers… Next on the list are dates who say they want nothing to eat and then gobble up your food when it arrives! We’re all works-in-progress so I let most stuff slide.”