There’s nothing better than a good ol’ fashioned summer romance. They’re the things that inspire rom-coms and romance novels, and men with beards and husky voices to pick up guitars.
There’s just something inherently romantic about spending your time with a pretty girl in the summer sun, splashing your feet in the sea, eating ice cream and getting sand in your nether regions. Bliss.
But like all relationships, summer romances have their pros and cons which you must learn of before embarking upon one. With that being said, here are the dos and don’ts of a summer romance.
The Dos and Don'ts of a Summer Romance
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DO: Make your level of commitment clear.
Summer romances typically don't last for very long, but some people go into them expecting a relationship out of it.
To ensure that neither party is left embittered after the summer's over and their fling returns to their normal schedule, you should make your level of commitment to the relationship clear. If you're looking for a brief romance then make it known, but if you're interested in keeping in touch after the sun sets then this should be discussed, too.
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DON'T: Get too clingy.
They don't call 'em flings for nothin', and if you treat your summer fling with all the seriousness of a marriage then you're going to wind up feeling awfully embarrassed by the end of it.
As previously mentioned, your level of commitment to your summer romance needs to be made clear from the outset, because if it's not then you run the risk of becoming indebted to someone who, in a month's time, will have moved on with their lives and left you in the dust.
In other words, when the winter comes round, don't stand outside her house holding aloft a boombox in the pouring rain.
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DO: Make the most of it.
Summer romances are a break from the everyday mundanity of life, and should therefore be treated as such. Considering that they will only be fleeting, you should make the most of them before you're forced to part ways with each other.
To best do this, think of you and your romancee as being in a Rocky-esque training montage, expect instead of punching stuff and running up stairs, you're going to nice restaurants and having sex.
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DON'T: Introduce her to your parents and vice versa.
Nothing says "I am far too committed to this fling" than arranging for her and your parents to meet. Doing this will likely scare her off, and will later result in awkward conversations when dear ol' ma and pa ask you where that sweet girl of yours went, and you're forced to explain that she was only interested in making sweet love with you for a few weeks.
Likewise, you shouldn't meet her parents if you don't envisage that this is going to be a long-term relationship, because meeting the 'rents is awkward enough without then having to explain why you're leaving their daughter in the dust after the summer's over.
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DO: Date someone you wouldn't typically go for.
Take a risk with your summer romance by dating someone who you wouldn't typically go for. This doesn't mean dating someone who you aren't physically attracted to, but rather someone outside of your comfort zone, i.e. someone who doesn't reside within your circle of acquaintances.
Go to some places you typically wouldn't venture into, talk to some people you wouldn't usually talk to - who knows, your summer could actually conclude with you learning something about people. Or, y'know, lead to you realizing that the reason you only date certain people is because you hate everyone else.
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DON'T: Use the summer as an excuse to forget about your normal life.
Some people seem to think that what happens on vacation should stay on vacation, and that whatever they get up to in those summer months should have no consequence on their ordinary lives. As such, a lot of relationships crash and burn during the summer due to an increased amount of infidelity.
If you'd love a summer fling but already have a girlfriend, you should take one of two steps:
- Don't do it.
- Make this known to your girlfriend.
In a world in which monogamy is encouraged, it may be difficult to comprehend that some couples have knowingly open relationships, and if this is something you wish to explore prior to your summer vacation then you should absolutely make it known to your partner.
If you feel she may leave you, then either choose not to embark on a summer romance, or call the relationship off before you find yourself stuck in the middle of a love triangle. While love triangles look pretty fun in the movies, in reality they're little more than a lot of shouting and slapping.
