In middle school, an English teacher of mine asked our class to compose an essay detailing our “criteria” for friendship as awkward 13-year-olds. “What does one of your peers have to be like in order to be your friend?” she posed to the class.
I remember immediately filling a sheet of notebook paper with a lengthy list of characteristics, ending with:
“Anyone who wants to be my friend has to be nice, fun and respectful to their parents. They also have to have a C+ average.”
I cringed when I read that line a few years ago after sifting through a box of old school notebooks and folders. In my 13-year-old head, grades were important indicators of character and as a good student myself, who systematically completed all of my homework on time and in a quality manner, I considered myself to be pretty generous in listing such an average GPA in my criteria.
As adults, grades no longer matter, but we still have our own deal breakers that cause us to pause in the dating world and re-evaluate the person in front of us before possibly calling it quits altogether. My 20-something list of deal breakers?
- Smoking
- Endless negativity
- Apathy toward the future
- Laziness
- Someone who doesn’t consider faith a priority in their life
A recent thread in the Tobias & Sara forum listed many deal breakers for CatholicMatchers.
- "Someone full of himself. Boastful and arrogant."
Michelle-641892 - "Being judgmental. If you don't give people a chance. Not excepting the tolerance. Giving excuses."
David-44807
For you, what characteristics would make you move on from a potential significant other? Are all deal breakers serious or can they be light-hearted? Let me know!
