Dating as a 30 Year Old in 2024
As little girls, we dream of finding our prince charming and our happily ever after. In every romance novel I have read, I have pictured myself in the love story. Society likes to put pressure on women that finding a man and settling down young is essential. That isn’t as much of the case anymore, but it can still make you feel like a failure when it doesn’t come to fruition.
When my best friend and I started dating, I felt like I was one of the lucky ones. I had this plan in my head of us settling down and raising a family. It didn’t work out, and years later, I never thought I would be 30 and still have to go on one disastrous date after another.
I never thought I would be swiping right or left and having to pick my future partner. Many guys lied to me and told me what I wanted to hear when, in reality, it could not have been further from the truth.
I still remember my first date from one of the apps resulted in the guy calling me a “cripple” because he wasn’t getting what he wanted. I was open and honest, talking about the chronic pain I was dealing with, only to have it thrown in my face.
It can be scary to date strangers with no mutual connections and not even know if the person on the profile is them.
Dating and COVID-19 were other beasts in themselves, and I don’t think they ever recovered from them. Most of my dating experiences started during COVID-19. Instead of going to restaurants for first dates, I went to their homes, hoping everything would turn out okay. It’s funny how, as kids, we are told not to go in cars with strangers or even talk to strangers, but that is exactly what we do when it comes to dating.
With every failed date, my confidence shrinks further, and I must continually pick up the pieces and start over. I know I am someone special, but it can be hard to feel it in the moment. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to get married and have kids, but now, as I am approaching 30, I need to think about the future and what it might look like to have kids on my own. Having a lifetime partner feels like a distant idea rather than something tangible.
Dating has never been easy, but something new comes along every generation that makes it seem next to impossible.
