What's the difference between dating and courting?

Question

and when should it be done? after high school? after college?

Answer 1

Dating is more social and physical..courting is a means to an end...Marriage...

Answer 2

Courting is a kind of old fashioned term, that I don't think is used much any more, but in my mind, courting is more serious than dating, which can be casual, or more committed. Courting to me is almost like being engaged. When, depends on the maturity of the people involved..... although I think middle school is too young, but high school dating is very common.

Answer 3

Ooooh - courting is such an elegant word. Courting means trying to elicit someone's attention. You can court other than in dating too - you can court a big potential customer, or you can court some politician, etc. It means trying to get them to notice you and like you. It may or may not succeed. Dating, on the other hand, implies that they are already friendly with you and going out with you. A successful courtship would lead to a "yes, I'll go out with you". In past centuries, courting meant a man soliciting a woman in this way with the ultimate goal of marriage.

Answer 4

i think courting is when a man seeks a woman's time and attention with a PURPOSE... he sees her as a serious candidate for a long-term relationship ike marriage with children. He seriously wants to be with HER.

Dating is more casual. Just people spending time with a variety of people, sometimes for sex, sometimes for entertainment, sometimes because they have nothing else to do.

Dating is two-fold: serious dating and casual dating. Casual dating takes place with more than one person, no commitments, no expectations. You don't even know if or when you will see this person again. Casual dating MAY also just be the basic and introductory phase of something more serious. Serious dating morphs into courting when you narrow your selection of partners down to just one person and begin to focus all your time energy and other resources on that individual. You make long-term plans with the idea that you will be executing those plans TOGETHER. This person gains the title of girlfriend or boyfriend even though you still may not be ready for the next phase of commitment - marriage. If your courting and the relationship are successful, the couple advances to engagement and then gain the title of "fiance" soon to be promoted to Wife or Husband. :)

Answer 5

I didn't realize there was a difference. I believe that dating can start in high school. Dating/courting gives an individual the opportunity through trial and error to discover what they need and want in a partner and where their boundaries are. It also teaches you how to communicate. But I also think it helps to have the opposite sex parent spend one-on-one quality time with the child to help teach them how they should expect to be treated by a partner. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

It can be done anytime really. If your 15 you might have a problem with your parents allowing it though. To me, dating and courting are the same. Courting is an old folks term for dating.

Answer 7

Courting is an old fashioned term most often used when two individuals are seeing each other exclusively, and marriage is the end motivation.
Dating refers to going out with many different people, usually just for a good time with no strings attached.

Answer 8

Dating is simply going out socially, courting is dating with the intention of making it a permanent relationship. Courting is best after you've completed your education, and are financially stable.

Answer 9

Courting involves spending time together in group settings, getting to know each other, not feeling each other up and having sex. Usually no touching at all other than maybe a hand holding every now and then. Dating, well, is completely the opposite.

Answer 10

i say courting is the next step after dating