5 Things You Shouldn't Talk About on the First Date

These are things that you shouldn't talk about on a first date. However, somehow or another, if it's going really well, I tend not to care. This list is in no particular order; the order can be up to you.

1. Marriage

This is a biggie because you are meeting this person presumably for the first time. The point is to NOT scare them away. I can understand asking whether or not they believe in the sanctity of it or if they will do it in the future. I'm talking specifics.
DO NOT tell them that you want to be married at the Cinderella Castle.
DO NOT tell them when you expect to be married.
DO NOT tell them that you tried on wedding dresses the weekend prior.
Reasons for this should be obvious but allow me to explicate:
If you have an idea of where you like to tie the knot, that means that you have been thinking about it.
If you put a deadline on the marriage proposal, not only are you inexplicably putting pressure on them, but you are letting them know that you are desperate.
And telling any man that you were shopping for a dress that you have no reason to shop for just tells him that you are CRAZY.

2. Kids

I don't have kids so they don't come up in conversation because they don't exist. Mention them if you have them for the love of
Pete, but if you don't, there should be no mention of them on the first date.
DO NOT make comments about the child sitting in the high chair two tables over that is really well behaved, like "I can't wait to have one" or "I wonder what ours would look like".
DO NOT talk about the names of your imaginary children.
DO NOT tell them about how you would raise them.
Now based on where you are in life, mid-30's would make this topic acceptable because you are both at that point, but I am 21, and I normally date three years my senior or higher. SO...no.
If you make comments about how good your children with that person would look, you are implying that you will have sex with them and that you will want children rather quickly. The comments about the names means that you have put a considerable thought into the futures of these children. While this is good to do, it is not good to share that with someone you are meeting for the first time.

3. Deep Seated Political Beliefs

If you lean one or another, it doesn't matter, but if you have some weird thought process where you actually ask yourself "What about all the good things Hitler did?", DO NOT share that with anyone.
I will not explain why that is a bad idea. I will however say that if you don't think you would be able to get along with someone from the other side of the aisle, by all means share that information but nothing more.
NO pro-choice v pro-life debates
NO government spending discussions
NO talking about who you voted for last presidential election
It should be a given but it's not.

4. Details of and/or Problems with Work

Whether we love or hate what we do for money, it should be a footnote in the conversation of your date. This information should not be the most interesting thing about you. Most of us, myself included, have jobs where they can always be improving on, but whatever qualms or frustrations you have about your employment, they should NOT be vented to someone you've just met for any reason. They don't know the details of what you do, so it doesn't make any sense to tell them. One thing to realize is that it will be backfire because you have vented, they will want to reciprocate. Nothing is quite as bad as having to listen to someone whine about their day at work and how hard their job is. You have employment, you make money; if it's so bad, quit.


5. The Weather

If you are resorting to talking about how it's been raining for the past couple of days at the same time everyday, you have nothing to discuss and you should just leave the date.