When Does Dating Become a Relationship?

Americans tend to agree that the earliest a person should say they are in a relationship is after one to three months of dating (19%), or even four to six months (18%). Fewer people think that the earliest appropriate time to say it is seven to nine months in (6%) or 10 to 12 months into the relationship (7%). The halfway point between casual dating and serious relationships is usually a gray area of dating exclusively. This is a good time to find out if your partner is right for you.

You may not be committed to the long term yet, but both of you are ready to agree that you won't see other people for the time being. As a general rule, two months should be a safe amount of time to address the topic. But every relationship is different, so if it feels right before, go ahead. If it's not right for you at that stage, there are a few steps you can take to prepare for the conversation.

As you talk about what you want out of the relationship, a future topic may come up. It's natural and healthy to think about a possible future with that person with whom you want to be boyfriend or girlfriend. You're taking the relationship from a casual date to a more serious one, and there's a reason for that. You may think that you can see yourself in a long-term relationship with this person.

Maybe you're even thinking about the possibility of getting married. Whatever it is, you're thinking about the future and you can see this person in your future. There are a lot of reasons why the person you've been seeing hasn't asked you to officially date yet. If you're going to date someone seriously, then you want to make sure that your core values and desires for the future are aligned.

There's the thrill of a good first date, the text messages starting to flow, showing each other your favorite places to eat, maybe going to the movies together. You can't ignore each other for a few days and then look for a date; rather, you need to decide if you value spending more time together, since a relationship means you'll do just that. Starting to date seriously may seem a little strange at first for some, but for most people, this is going to come very naturally. He specializes in training others on best practices and strategies for successful first dates and in the online dating world. I don't like to stretch things out and I won't date someone who needs several months to make up their mind.

The third date can usually be too soon, but if your relationship seems to progress to that point, all you can do is have a conversation. Some relationship experts cite the “two-month rule as the optimal amount of time to date someone before making things official. On average, children start having group dates when they are around 13 years old, and by 15, most have started going out individually. Three dates, five dates, five months - whatever it is - you just have to have the conversation with your partner and be on the same page. Instead of meeting once a week or several times a month, you may have appointments several times a week.