I’ve been in this dating game (and as much as I want it not to be a game, it is) for about a year now and I’ve discovered in my ever growing experience that there seems to be no middle ground.

I’ve gone on dates with guys in their early twenties to early forties, and it’s either one extreme of the other.

The younger guys (ages range from anywhere between 21-32) all want options. They are “talking to” multiple girls at once, playing their own mini version of the Bachelor, sans the roses and Chris Harrison, but keeping in the drama, cat fights and positioning. Or they just want one thing…and it’s NOT a homecooked meal (And I’m not handing out either one).

The older guys (that is, the ones older than myself) only want one thing too –a committed relationship as quickly as possible. They know how to court a woman and have the dying art of chivalry drilled into them by their parents which is awesome, but in the effort to not play games, they seem to be on a lighting path to wedding bells faster than I can pin imaginary wedding favors on my Pinterest board. And to be fair, they want both the homecooked meal AND the other thing as well.

Now, I am willing to admit that I am probably more high maintenance than most, but I need some middle ground. No, I am not ready to jump in the sack with someone I just met, not ready to pick out our dog-baby’s name, not ready to learn how to cook, nor get our names tattooed on my arm.

I am a girl that doesn’t know what she wants yet, and I am totally okay with that.