Tomato: tuh-mey-toh, tuh-mah-toh...same thing right?

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A friend of mine brought up a very interesting topic. Is there a difference between dating and courting someone?

My opinion is that there is a difference and if there isn't then there should be. Dating, in my opinion, precedes courting, and courting leads to engagement and marriage. Dating is like testing the waters and making an effort to get to know the person. It's more or less the early phase before any titles are allowed. Once titles are involved then I consider it a courtship. The goal of having a boyfriend/girlfriend is to potentially make this person a life long partner. If that's not the goal, then why have one? I think when we were all teenagers these things had different meanings. Once you become an adult, it just seems fitting for your goals for a relationship to change.

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I think it's important for a couple to understand the difference or each other's views of each when embarking on a relationship. Sometimes you will find that you may be completely on 2 different pages. I think that for most women, anyone who comes around often and has a good relationship with Mama is someone they are courting, in hopes to one day marry. But how many men actually pursue a woman in hopes to make her his wife? Depending on age and stance in life, dating may be truly all a man or even a woman for that matter may be thinking about. 

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I think the problem today is that a lot of men clearly see the difference between the two, but some women do not. We think that any man is ready for the same things we are. This may be why we tend to get our feelings so hurt over a man who in our mind we were courting, yet in his mind he was clearly testing the waters and just dating us. There are a million names that we can place on the phases of a relationship. Whatever you chose to call it is fine, but again, just make sure you are in coherence with your mate.