As Valentine’s Day approaches, more and more people are planning out their Feb. 14. Some choosing to go for the traditional flowers, chocolates and a night out; maybe for dinner and a movie. While others are opting for friend dates, or a night to unwind and appreciate the people you love.

I was reading articles online today and I stumbled across an article titled, “Is Dating a Thing of the Past?”

The article was all about how a lot of people of younger generations are more focused on “hanging out” or inviting a date to a group activity, like a night out with friends or a concert. The author argued that the idea of dating is fading out.

My question is this, why would you think that dating is fading out? If going on a first date is intimidating, why wouldn’t it be acceptable to go on a group date to loosen some of the tensions on a first date?

Of course, this article was talking about people who send a text every now and then and only want to be around people when they don’t have anything better to do, but I don’t think we can judge an entire generation based on just a small group.

No, I don’t think that dating is going out of style or is a thing of the past. I think that dating is changing, but not necessarily in a negative way.

Dating has become a little bit less scary to me. I don’t like the idea of meeting someone once in a bar or at a club and then being alone with them. I want to become more comfortable with them first. My boyfriend and I met in class, so I was able to talk with him in public settings for a while before being alone with him.

The types of dates that people go on now are different than what they used to be as well. I don’t want to go to an expensive restaurant, where either I or my date spends way too much, or a movie, where I don’t get the chance to talk to my date. I’d prefer something simple. For our first date, my boyfriend and I went on an impromptu late night walk to a park, then we stargazed, had a mini picnic consisting of Oreos, soda and just enjoyed talking with each other for a couple of hours. Simple dates are more popular now.

Just because we didn’t go out to dinner and a movie doesn’t mean that we didn’t go out on a date. I consider almost everything that we do a date, if it’s just us. If we watch a movie on his couch, that’s a date. If we make dinner together, that’s a date.

If we drive around looking at Christmas lights, that’s a date. If we run to McDonald’s for burgers and watch movies or play Mario Kart, that’s a date.

If we go walking around on Main Street and duck into the cute little shops, that’s a date. Once, we walked to a park and then walked to get ice cream, which was a great, and fun, date!

If you think about it, dating now is much more memorable. I’m going to remember laughing at my boyfriend as he tries his darndest to prove how good he is at using those little sand scoop trucks in a sand pit.

I’m going to cherish the time that we spent dancing around the kitchen listening to Disney music and cooking more than I would appreciate him paying for my dinner.

Dating isn’t going out of style, its style is just changing.