This post is all about early dating good signs.
When you’re starting out in a new relationship or even just going on a couple of dates, it’s terrifying. You’re nervous the other person doesn’t reciprocate your feelings and you’re worried about coming on too strong or playing too many games.
It’s good to have some ideas of what a good partner looks like. No matter how early on it is, you can still look for signs that your date is into you and worth your time.
This post is all about early dating good signs.
EARLY DATING GOOD SIGNS:
1. Respectful communication
Everyone gets nervous on the first date, so your date might be a nervous talker. They might talk a lot about themselves because they’re too nervous to realize how much they’re actually talking.
However, this becomes a problem when they ignore or miss your attempts to get into the conversation. Once you get a word in, watch how they respond to you.
Even early on, you can observe whether someone is listening to you and responding or waiting for the next chance to talk regardless of what you said.
Watch out for the moments when your date makes no attempts to hear you or pause for you to respond. They’re a good indication that they don’t know how to communicate well and respectfully.
2. Reciprocity
The early stages of a relationship can be the most awkward and difficult of the entire relationship. The two of you don’t know each other well enough to know when the other person is interested and you’re both probably nervous that your feelings aren’t reciprocated.
Still, this is one of the most important early dating good signs. So, challenge yourself, be vulnerable, and initiate. Start conversations with them and show them that you want them in your life. In return, your date should put effort into spending time with you.
3. Honesty
Ask your partner questions and listen to the way they answer. They should be completely transparent about what they want from this relationship and how they feel about you.
When it comes to their past experiences, childhood, and previous relationships, cut them some slack if they’re cautious. Keep in mind that your partner may be less open about their past experiences because of what they’ve been through.
Give them time to open up about the stuff that hurts them, and remember that it’s not an automatic red flag for them to keep some stuff about their past secret.
4. Shared values
Values come up pretty early in a relationship. So, it won’t take you long to know if the person shares your beliefs and values. While it’s not impossible to make a relationship work if the person has different values, the two of you will likely argue a lot more.
Not only should you take a moment to think through your values, but you should also think about whether you can date someone who has different values than you.
5. Supportive behavior
It’s never too early for your partner to show you support. Even if they are still getting to know you and what your goals are, they still know what makes you happy.
So, you can expect your partner to support you right from the get-go. As soon as you know you want them in your life long term, involve them in it. Share details about your life with them, so they can show you they want to be in it.
6. Thoughtful gestures
Money or no money, time or no time. It’s always possible to show your partner you’re thinking of them when they don’t expect you to be. Get them their favorite snack when you’re at the store to fill up their water bottle when you fill up yours.
Not only should you show your partner you’re thinking of them, but you should expect your partner to show they consider you. Thoughtful gestures prove that your partner is willing to prioritize you and add you into the natural way their life works.
7. Respecting boundaries
Boundaries are a healthy part of every relationship. Without them, it’s easy to trigger someone or mistreat them without realizing what their expectations are, which is why this is one of the most important early dating good signs.
This is why we have to value the boundaries of our partners from the moment we learn about them. Not only it is important to respect boundaries to stay healthy and maintain independence from one on other, but it’s also something you should want to do when you care about someone.
When something feels uncomfortable or triggers your traumatic response, set a boundary. Let your partner know how you’ll respond next time you’re in that situation in way that protects you.
8. Punctuality
When your partner shows up on time for a date or meeting the family for the first time, it shows they value you and your time. It can be a lot of work for someone to be punctual, especially when they struggle with planning ahead or noting how much time has passed.
Even then, punctuality is important for early dating good signs because they can demonstrate how much you mean to them by showing you what they’re willing to do to meet your expectations.
9. Empathy
Your partner should take an interest in how you’re feeling and what you’re sharing with them. Even if you’re talking about some silly topic with them, they should still be in touch with your feelings.
Notice how they respond to you when you share something difficult. Depending on how well you know them, let them know when you feel like they’re not listening or empathetic.
They should care about how you feel and how your past has affected you. When you get vulnerable with them, they need to respond. If they don’t, that’s a sign they might not be emotionally available or ready for the same type of relationship as you.
10. Sense of humor
You two should be able to make each other laugh no matter how terrible your jokes are. Humor is a way to connect with your partner. So, make sure you can laugh with them until your stomach hurts.
There will be plenty of serious, painful times the two of you experience together, which is why humor is so important for early dating good signs. It brings you closer together while also giving you a way to cope with the pain you’ll both experience.
11. Supportive of friendships
Keep in touch with your friends and hang out with them. Your time will probably be limited by how much you have to work and spend time with your partner. But, you should still be able to make time for friends.
And your partner should support you in that. Everyone is different and requires a different amount of time with their friends to unwind or experience a different type of connection.
But, that doesn’t change the fact that everyone needs another form of fulfillment other than their partner and the relationship should provide space and time for that.
12. Apologizing and forgiveness
Both you and your partner should know how to say sorry. When you start off a new relationship, arguments are stressful and scary. You can’t be sure how much stress the relationship can take because you haven’t been dating your partner very long.
That’s okay. What’s not okay is avoiding accountability or holding grudges. You and your partner have to agree that you both want to put work and time into making the relationship happy and healthy for both of you.
Once you’ve agreed on that, things like apologizing and forgiving make sense even if they’re a struggle. The important part is to make sure that you see your partner trying.
13. Similar interests
You two are going to share a lot of time together if you don’t already. Only so much of that time can be spent on talking about memes, the news, or social media. At a certain point, you’ll have to find something in common.
This can be an activity you enjoy doing together or some topic you two love to share with one another. Find the thing that you enjoy doing together, so you can spend time together doing something unique to the two of you.
14. Feeling comfortable
Your partner should be the one person in your life that makes you feel the most comfortable. If that’s not the case yet, then that’s something to work on.
Rather than getting stressed out or sad, think of what it would look like to have your partner be someone you’re comfortable with. But, keep in mind, that may not be possible. If they don’t show you they care or they listen, those may not be problems the two of you can fix.
15. Shared responsibilities
When you start dating, it will be hard to divvy up the responsibilities. But, the more that you get involved in the relationship financially, emotionally, and physically, the more the two of you will need to have these conversations.
In the beginning, responsibilities can look like how you two pay for dinner. Or they can be who initiates a date.
You don’t need to dive right into this conversation to see if your partner is willing to share responsibilities. But, you can pay attention to how they respond when you ask questions like “if I pay for dinner this week, do you want to pay next week?”
16. Physical affection
Communicate your comfort around physical affection. Let your partner know if there’s any traumatic history that affects how much you like to be touched or if that’s how they can show you they love you.
Be open about it and watch how they listen and respect your needs. Ask them what their physical needs are and show them the attention they need even if it differs from how you like physical affection.
17. Attention to details
Make note of the moments when they remember your favorite flower or candy. Notice when they ask about your sister because you told them she was having a rough time last week.
Let them show you how much they care by watching how much they remember about you. It’s not the only factor that makes them worthy of dating, but it can show you how much they’re trying or how natural it is for them to care about you.
18. Curiosity
Watch for the moments when they ask about you. It’ll be easy to tell whether they’re asking because they feel like they have to or they actually care. They will continue asking questions, clarify what you said, and react to it in empathetic ways.
Or they’ll limit how they react and move on once you answer. Let them show you who they are in a way that a lot of people can do naturally when they like someone. For neurotypicals, this can show you how much they are aware of other people.
19. Healthy independence
Both of you have your own lives and independence. This relationship should add to your life and, eventually, it will probably make up a huge part of your life. But, you should want to have parts of your life all to yourself.
As hard as it can be to think about ending a relationship when it’s barely starting, it’s important to think about you can create a life outside of your partner.
Not only does it help your relationship because you both find fulfillment in and out of your relationship, but it gives you something that you have even if you don’t have your relationship anymore.
