Another Post About Dating...

...because I'm pandering in order to boost my readership.

This is the only picture that I could think of for a post about LDS Singles.

I love my singles' ward* in Boston.  It's probably the best ward I've ever been in.  However, if there was one thing I could change about my ward, it would be the ward Facebook page.  I don't know who is in charge of the Facebook page, and kudos to whomever that is for magnifying their calling and whatnot, but as far as I can tell, all the ward Facebook page does is (in addition to always announcing the wrong time for Ward Temple Night) post articles like the following:

"5 Signs He's Not Serious About You"

"The Slow Cooker Breakup Method"

"Dating Mistakes Women Make"

There's a new one of these "Single Saints" articles pretty much every day.  Sometimes more often than that.  I realize that being obsessed with dating and marriage is a HUGE part of young LDS culture, but seriously?  This is overkill.  In jest, I posted a Facebook status saying, "Maybe the reason that there are so many unmarried Mormons in Boston is that we're too busy reading all of the 'Single Saints' posts on the LP2 page to actually go on dates." 

As much as it may have seemed to start out this way, the purpose of this post is not to criticize whomever is in charge of the ward Facebook page (so don't get all offended and go crying to the bishop about it, because frankly, you're doing a good job.  I probably would never put anything on the page were I in charge).  This post is about a broader thing.

Here's the thing:  I'm a firm believer that reading a bunch of articles about something isn't going to make you better at that thing.  I've never collected any data on this, but I have a strong inkling that the people who read all of these articles as scripture don't have as much dating success as the people who just say, "screw it, I'm going to go on a date."  

So don't worry if some website says that you're dating incorrectly, and don't rely on some website to tell you whether or not you're doing things correctly.  Worried that you're not?  That's what communication is for!  I'm not saying you should end every date by asking your date if they'd like to take a brief survey in order to improve your performance, but talk!

I could probably go on and make up more things that I would call advice, but then this would turn into one of those very same "how to date if you're a Mormon" articles, and we're not okay with that.

*"Singles' Ward" = Congregation of unmarried Mormons of a certain age bound to a certain geographic location.  Also, I never know where the apostrophe is supposed to go in "singles".  It's like Master's Degree.