# How is dating different in your 30s than in your 20s?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-dating-different-in-your-30s-than-in-your-20s/421329>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 3, 2007, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-dating-different-in-your-30s-than-in-your-20s/421329 "2007-10-03T01:29:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-dating-different-in-your-30s-than-in-your-20s/421329/41 "2007-10-05T16:36:05Z")

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I’m starting to get the feeling that the main difference is city vs. rural. As msmith537 points out, when I was in my twenties I was either in school or getting my career started as were most of my friends. The though of kids just didn’t seem reasonable especially since we were all either living in group homes, with a roommate or in small apartments. Also since it is really not that common with most people in our socio economic brackets to settle down and have kids, there was no pressure to do so. My folks didn’t start nagging me to have kids until I turned thirty.

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**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-dating-different-in-your-30s-than-in-your-20s/421329/42 "2007-10-06T16:37:53Z")

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[QUOTE=BlinkingDuck]  
Lionne lives in MN?  
[/QUOTE]  
Upon rereading the thread, I think I misunderstood your words “around here” to mean here on the Dope. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the ‘regional’ aspect of your argument.  
I live in Clearwater, FL.

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**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-dating-different-in-your-30s-than-in-your-20s/421329/43 "2007-10-06T17:48:58Z")

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[QUOTE=tdn]  
I am no longer in my 30s, but I can tell you the exact nature of how the two decades differed. My 20s were filled with unprecedented failure. My 30s were filled with unprecedented success. The reason? Two months (to the day) after I turned 30, I made the decision that the way things were going were wholly unacceptable. I decided to take charge of the situation.

Now 45 (and staring down the barrel of 46), I’m back in the same situation.

I’m sure that will come as a shock to most of you.  
[/QUOTE]

I’m sorry to pry, but I don’t understand. What “same situation”? The success or failure?

What did you do in your thirties to “take charge”? You can answer here or PM if you wish…

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