In the time of Tinder and technology, what was dating like before the apps?

What is better than curling up inside with a special someone while the weather rages outside? The only problem some may have with this picture is, well, not having a special someone. The pressure is on and the real question is: how does one go about getting a date? So, who should people go to that is a trustworthy source for answering this question? There is only really one clear answer … your parents. Clearly their smooth moves work and have been working over the years. To help out, real parents gave their insight.

Jane McGowan described her technique as a “group effort.” To get a date, she would send her friends to find out if a guy was interested. If yes, they would get the guy and his friends to meet up at the same place at the same time they would be there. McGowan said it is always best to bring friends to the first encounter so “they could bail you out if it wasn’t a good match.” She also talked about the “preparation” phase. Her and her friends would all get together and look at wardrobe options and makeup so “you can look your hottest for the date.”

“You really had to work for the date.”

Karen Schreiner

Pat and Karen Schreiner described the “traditional good old days of dating.” Pat Schreiner would begin his dating adventure by getting their phone number, and he did this by going straight to the parents or her friends. Then he would ask the parents if he could take their daughter out on a date, and they would go bowling or to a movie with a group of friends. Karen Schreiner let the boys come to her. “If a guy wanted to ask me out on a date, I probably would have heard about it through my friends. They would have said something like, “Hey, this guy is really nice and wants to go out with you.” On the other hand, she had some guys she had to reject when her friends gave the warning, “He is kind of a party guy so don’t answer him.” Karen Schreiner said back in the day, “You really had to work for the date.”

There is another technique that Brad Hillman used on Karen Hillman that made “the rest history.” The two worked at Target, and Brad Hillman began shopping at the jewelry counter where Karen Hillman worked. “He would always be working the main aisle on Friday morning when I would come and get my paycheck and stop me to visit.” Brad Hillman continued popping up in Target until the two began to go on dates. After many years, Karen later revealed she did not notice Brad was making an effort to approach her — she just thought she just ran into him a lot.

So whether you go with the group effort like Jane McGowan, the traditional way like Pat and Karen Schreiner or the popping up in Target technique like Brad Hillman, you are almost guaranteed a date. The tricks of the trade have been right in front of everyone this whole time. To get that Valentine’s Day date all you have to do is date like your parents.