Dating Don’ts: Five Dating Habits That Toe The Line Between Cute And Crazy

Posted by: Judy McGuire Filed in: relationships
8:00AM, Thursday April 30th 2009

Comments (20)

Have you been watching “Tough Love” on VH1? It took a bit to grow on me. Now, not only do I love the show, I may be harboring a secret crush on host Steve Ward.

I bring this up because a couple weeks ago, he had the ladies participate in an impromptu game show that he called “Cute or Crazy.” Not surprisingly, one contestant’s habit of letting her cats choose her boyfriends was dubbed “crazy,” while another’s Riverdance reenactment qualified as “cute.”

Many of us have some behaviors that might be misinterpreted as kooky, when they’re actually just quirky. Take, for example, how I get livid if anyone dares to crack one of my magazines open before I’ve had a chance to browse through it. That’s perfectly understandable. Right?

To aid you in your quest for true love, I’ve compiled a list of behaviors and characteristics that can be cute, but sometimes graduate into the crazy.

1. Animal Attraction: Where pet ownership falls on the “special” spectrum is usually a question of quantity. One pet is fine. Even two is OK (though less so). Once you get into multiples, you start to scare people. The crazy cat lady cliché didn’t come out of nowhere.

However, even if you only have one animal in your life, dressing Benji up like he’s your mini-me is pushing it. Sure, if it’s below zero, some breeds need a little extra wrapping, but no dog should ever don a tutu or a tiara. Not only is it undignified for your pup (who now secretly hates you), it screams, “I am a lunatic” to the world at large. Encouraging your dog to lick you on the mouth and/or addressing it in baby talk are red flags to people who might have previously considered getting naked with you.

2. Toys In The Attic: Holding onto your cherished childhood teddy bear is one thing. A menagerie of stuffed animals crowding him out of your bed is just creepy.

3. Love Me!: Being open to new activities with the person you’re dating is important, which is why sitting through the occasional basketball game, even though you prefer hockey, shows you’re a good sport. However, turning up with your face painted in Knicks colors is trying way too hard.

4. The Nurturing Caregiver: When Niko brought Cathy back home to his somewhat sloppy bachelor pad after their pivotal third date, he was excited. She was cute, fun, and vivacious. He was definitely thinking girlfriend material when he left her a key the next morning as he headed off to work. When he returned home that evening, his apartment had been scrubbed clean and all the furniture had been rearranged. In the fridge, there were carefully labeled Tupperware containers full of food for the next couple days. Gulp.

Stopping by with soup for your illin’ honey is one thing. Morphing into his mommy is quite another.

5. Background Research: Anybody who says they’ve never Googled their date is either lying or, well, lying. It’s natural to want to know where he went to college or what his favorite band is. When you get into the realm of tracking down his social security number and last five girlfriends, you’ve crossed over to the dark side. Come back towards the light!

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Tags: dating, dating donts, love advice, judy mcguire, crazy behavior, cute behavior

Comments (20)

comments

shannac02
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:02 am: [report]

This one made it to CNN… I’m waiting for the onslaught of CRAZY woman haters!

Although, this article was super funny!!!

Naneenya
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:14 am: [report]

I’m a little obsessive about being the first to open my magazines too -

retro chic
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:23 am: [report]

I’m all too eager to discover a guy’s world, abandoning my routine briefly—that’s new and interesting to me. The problem is when they want to tag along to run errands and do daily stuff with me—that sounds cute, but it’s not—not at first.
Judy, your kooky magazine violation comment reminds me of Seinfeld where Jerry complains he gets mad when someone who has read his newspaper before he did—that the news is no good anymore—it’s already been read.

40yrolddad
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:31 am: [report]

“Anybody who says they’ve never Googled their date is either lying or, well, lying.”

I’ve never Googled a date - but then I haven’t had a 1st date since 1994… & FWIW, my (now) wife had still had a fairly big stuffed animal collection when we met (which has now been split between our two kids)...

Alison Wonderland
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:48 am: [report]

The only animal it’s acceptable to own in multiples is fish.

Kiki T
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 08:54 am: [report]

I could so add many more things to this list, but would i want to let out all my secrets?

miss game
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 09:46 am: [report]

Wow… harsh about the animals. Its good pet ownership to have more than one unless you are home ALOT. I see nothing wrong with 2 cats or 2 dogs, so that they can keep each other company.

and lol to number 4. Who does that???

Tim
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 10:22 am: [report]

1. Yeah maybe. I know a lady with 9 cats and she’s great.

2. You’re gonna make me throw out my Teddy! NO WAY!

3. Yeah that could be pushing the line.

4. Can I please have someone apply for this date? I have a very messy apartment that could use some love.

5. Yeah running the equivalent of a Top Secret background investigation is probably taking this a bit far. Agreed.

Lola
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 10:23 am: [report]

I knew someone who had not only dog, but a ferret, a parrot, and 2 cats. (She had adopted them since their owners could not keep them) She realized she was repelling guys with all the animals she owned and now only has her 1 dog and 1 cat.

@miss game… I was wondering the same thing.. Plus on his part, why would he give her a key to his apt after the 3rd date??

CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 10:46 am: [report]

@40yrolddad: 1994, I was 9 and I had just gotten AOL. Woo for the 28.8 modem.

Manic Mommy
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 01:27 pm: [report]

I love the show TOUGH LOVE!!! Not sure if I am crushing on the guy host or not though! Cute article Judy!

Taurwen
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 03:04 pm: [report]

I don’t really google people unless I’m talking to them on msn and say “Hey, have you ever googled yourself?” Then I automatically google them lol

Isista
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 03:55 pm: [report]

I’ve honestly never googled a date before. Now I am friends with my boyfriend on facebook, if that counts?

theoldman
wrote on April 30 2009 @ 04:24 pm: [report]

My neighbor is a very nice woman but has 11 cats(last item I counted) We give her the stories from CNN and elsewhere when fire fighters and police find little old ladies with a 100+ cats. No 2 no way I am giving up my TR original teddies. That is my retirement plan; better than anything Wall Street has offered recently(Judy do you have better investment advice?). 3. Tolerable once in a while as long as they aren’t Dallas Cowboy fans. If she dresses up like one of the Dallas Cheerleaders, THAT is a different story. Right on. Any one who does 4 for me will be immediately canonized. Girls put that one in the same category with the new bf that fixes everything wrong with your car as long as you do it only once. 5. is one you want to be VERY careful. Just ask Patricia Dunn and Ann Baskins. Possession of old phone numbers, names addresses so forth of old girl friends (especially if they don’t like you, you are intruding on their privacy and can be considered stalking), Social Security Number/credit history unless he gives it to you are quick ways to take an extended vacation from dating unless you are into dating women named Butch. Lots of people using the internet haven’t learned from the HP debacle. How Mark Hurd skated is beyond me. Sexism/double standard? The fact that it is on line doesn’t make it legal or legit. What if you get burned by information for someone with a same similar name. Think about the mistakes in credit reports. Add snooping through the bf/gf cell phone. Makes you look like brain damaged goods and a control freak.

vampchicksam
wrote on May 4 2009 @ 06:20 pm: [report]

Ok maybe I’m just wierd. When I met my boyfriend of 3years.
I’d a room full of stuffed toys (still do)
Worked at an animal sanctury (I’m animal mad still do)
Had a Dog who I admit treated like a sister (she tried to eat him)
A cat and a rabbit, when you add my 4 sisters and 2 brothers my house which I brought him to after the 1st week was the biggest test of does he like me. Though maybe hes as crazy as me.

IAMME
wrote on May 6 2009 @ 11:38 am: [report]

1.) I have two cats, a rabbit, a dog, three squirrel babies (soon to be released), and three chickens….I’m doomed, but they aren’t all mine exactly, ok I’ll claim one cat, but the rest are my children’s pets, and if a guy can’t get past the animals well how the heck is he gonna deal with the three kids??

4.) LOL, not gonna catch me doing that, I get plenty of it.

5.) I google dates, I have even been known to run blind dates through the sex offender registry, but I like to think that is cautious..not stalkerish…??

steventb
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 09:14 pm: [report]

This is a funny article. I dated a girl who had two cats and they did become a lot for me to handle. I get really freaked out when an animal is around the the bedroom “watching”. Dating, seeking can be quite interesting sometimes.