Obviously, one of the topics of conversation here is dating Americans, and it appears that things are a little more complicated here than usual. Some of my new American friends have laid out the landscape for me, so I pass it on to you.
In the UK, it’s usual to ask someone out on a date only if you’re not seeing anyone. From that point, you date, figure out if it works or not, and either part ways or … well … get it on.
In the US, it’s not quite the same. It’s normal here to date many people at once. So that means that you can be out on a date with someone who could then date someone else the next night. In fact, there are even defined stages here. I wish I had a copy of Visio handy!
Meet someone -> date (multiple people) -> DTR -> relationship (one only) -> babies
While dating someone, if you think it’s going well, one needs to “Define The Relationship” or DTR. (This is apparently a common acronym.) Only after this stage would one expect a relationship to be exclusive.
One has to respect the efficiency of such a system, though it’s probably best to be warned beforehand.
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