The ghosts of dating, past, present and future

How the date ended:

Why we worried: “He’s got a loose tongue, he better not tell his wife.”

80s Dater Lynn, 42 Secretary.

Mum was terribly strict about dating. I was only ever allowed out with boys if it was in a group, say to the movies or a Chinese restaurant – never one-on-one. This isn’t to say we never mucked around with boys, just that we had to be discreet! By the time I was “old enough” to date, I’d started work and accumulated a great bunch of girlfriends. We tended to go out exclusively in a pack. We weren’t even “on the hunt” either. We just loved each other’s company; loved drinking, dancing and flirting. Our mantra was to party hearty – but steer well clear of being tied down. The term “boyfriend” was a nasty word. Sure, you’d meet guys and occasionally take one home but I never met a guy whose company I enjoyed over my girlfriends’. Quite often if a guy started hitting on me, he’d find himself buying seven sambuccas (with a coffee bean, of course) for me and my friends. Then he’d have to shell out for seven hotdogs from the vendor outside the pub at midnight.

Of course, as time wore on, girls did start dropping out and getting married. I was one of the last to take the plunge. It bothered Mum more than it bothered me. When I did finally meet someone special, I asked him out on a date. I got married at the ripe old age of 24 ½, having sown my wild oats but never once disillusioning my dear old mum.

My daughter’s 16 now and is just starting to date. I’d rather she waited till she’s 25. After all, what I don’t know – I don’t wanna know!

90s Date:

Who our role models were: Madonna, Princess Diana, Courtney Love

What we wore: LBDs, op-shop rejects, retro chic.

Where we went: Raves, Nightclubs, House Parties

When he impressed us: By opening his wallet to retrieve a condom and refusing to drive while under the influence.

How the date ends: With mind-altering tantric sex under aromatic candlelight