For Teens, Romances Where the Couple Never Meets Are Now Normal

When I first started dating in the late 90s, internet dating was already a thing.

I had a 'relationship' with someone from another college about 100 miles away where we talked online every day for a couple of years before actually meeting. I wanted to meet much earlier, but would get excuse after excuse or our plans would get cancelled.

When we met in person, I quickly realized that the person had a completely different personality online and we actually weren't really that compatible. I tried to make it work, because we both had put so much time into it..but it just didn't work out in the end.

I learned a valuable lesson after this and in all future online dating, I would setup an in-person date within a week or two. If there were continuing excuses, I would move on. This worked out pretty well for me.

Something I noticed is that some women just want someone for emotional support and really aren't looking for a date, even when they are on a dating site, and they will gladly string someone along for attention, adulation, and a self-esteem boost without any intention of starting a real relationship.

I'm glad I'm married and don't have to deal with the current online dating trends.

This is nothing new, although the phenomenon is probably more common now.

In my case, I met my husband online in 2002, on IRC. We were separated by a continent, and never met in person until 2009. We finally got married in 2013 and have been together ever since. I have online friends with similar experiences, usually where they never meet. But sometimes it works out.

I met my wife on Twitter (before I rage-quit it). We were friends for years before it went anywhere.