What do I call this in dating?
I’m trying to figure out what I want so I can communicate up front to a potential new partner. Dating is new for me after ending a 20+ year relationship.
I know for sure i do not want to be in a serious relationship that involves spending majority of my free time together. Daily texts back and forth can feel overwhelming to me but I don’t mind saying hi once or twice a day.
I think seeing someone consistently like once maybe twice a week max is perfect too. Someone to do fun things with when I don’t have my kids. I’d definitely like to be intimate with someone but don’t like the idea of being intimate with multiple partners (either one of us) so exclusive in that sense.
So what is this considered? Casual dating? A situationship? Is this a relationship that is moving slow?
I’ve ended things twice with dates bc they seemed to wanna make a relationship more serious than what I wanted and they began to feel needy to me. They called it dating with intention so I guess I do not want that? I realize I can tell my new date exactly what I described above but am I being unrealistic here?
Posted Jun 10, 2026, 4:35 PM UTC