Can I still date other people?

[Goanthen]

I’ve been on 4 dates with him. We speak/message often and yes, we have slept together.
my question is, can I still date other people?
I don’t want to ask him as I think it’s too soon and I’m not in any rush to make anything ‘official’.
if I did decide to go on this other date, do I tell him? It’s been a while since I’ve been on the dating scene, so I’m not sure what the rules are?!

Yes we have adopted their way of dating but havent done the same with the way they collect Child Support I wonder why 🤔

I'm the same age as you. From what I understand from the grads at work, it's entirely normal to have a string of internet dates lined up, and to still go on others, even if you like someone you meet and arrange a second date with. It's normal and expected. By the time you sleep with them though, you really do need to have a conversation about your status. If he is lovely, and there's potential, you don't want it to blow up later down the line that he didn't know.

The idea of more than one sexual partner makes me exhausted! I’m pretty sure I’m peri menopausal, so even sleeping with him was a big deal for me. It had been over 12 months since my last encounter.
i guess I’d be a bit disappointed if he was sleeping with other people, as that’s a bit gross.
im seeing him again on Saturday, so I might casually(drunkenly!) slide it into the conversation and see what the craic is

There are no 'rules' - everyone has different notions of what they want from dating. Some people would consider it fine to date as many people as you want unless you've agreed otherwise. Some would only ever date one person at a time.

That's why it's important to have a conversation about it. Especially if those dates might include sex, because some people might not feel comfortable with that from a potential STI standpoint as much as anything else.

Exactly this. You got drunk, probably while out with a group of friends, fell into bed with someone (more often than not, someone you kind of already knew) and then you either saw them again and that meant you were together, or you avoided them for the rest of your life and never spoke of it again. It was so much easier then.

This! Why did everything have to change??

I can't even be bothered to date one person, never mind multiple people. I'm no expert but I feel that if you're considering it, then current man is not the man for you.

It’s not that he’s not the one. I’ve had ‘the one’ and it went horribly, horribly wrong. I won’t ever live with anyone again. I’ve got my kids and that’s enough, most of the time. But when they’re with their dad, I get bored/lonely. Part of me thinks it’s not fair of me to expect a partner to slot into my utterly chaotic life. I can barely cope with it, Nevermind an outsider!

I think many men would be ok with this. If they already have kids for example or are just looking for a good time. But I don’t think it’s fair if he is looking for a relationship and hopes for a partner to not be upfront that that isn’t what you are looking for

I wouldn’t sleep with someone without being exclusive first. So no, I wouldn’t go on another date.

If you take a different approach, you still have had sex with this person. You have chosen to be physically and possibly emotionally vulnerable with them. You should be able to have an honest conversation with them.

That's fine, and totally understandable, but I think if you want to date others and keep things casual it's best to be honest about this to avoid hurt feelings.

One of the reasons I stopped dating is because I wasn't sure how I would ever manage to articulate 'I'd like to be with you, and be with you exclusively, but not see you very often, or have you round my flat much, and definitely not staying the night, and I won't be staying at yours either...'

This!!

Ah, the good old days!