{"id":13452,"date":"2016-09-12T01:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T08:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=13452"},"modified":"2021-05-31T23:19:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T06:19:08","slug":"new-relationship-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Relationship Timeline: Are You on Schedule?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So your first few dates have gone extremely well, and now you and your new sweetie are in that stage where you\u2019re \u201cofficial\u201d even though your relationship is still fresh and new. That\u2019s great. Being in a new relationship is an amazing and fun stage to be in. But while you may want to rush through the courtship to get to the more established stage of your relationship, fight the urge and put on the brakes for a moment. There are a lot of steps on the new relationship timeline before you get to be an established couple and really start your happily ever after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From talking about money and covering exes, to meeting the family and moving in together, here are nine key points in the new relationship timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discuss sexual history
\n<\/strong>On the 2nd<\/sup> date<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to talk about your sexual history with your partner and get a sense of your chemistry, experience, and how you\u2019ll be together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is something that should be addressed early in the dating process,\u201d says licensed marriage and couples therapist, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer<\/a>. \u201cBy the second date you should start to discuss the overarching themes of your sexual history.  It\u2019s not necessary to get into the weeds here, a general survey of the terrain will suffice.\u201d He also adds that people shouldn\u2019t feel obligated to tell their \u201cnumber\u201d so feel free to keep some things private.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have Sex
\n<\/strong>After 3 dates<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People view sex differently based on their own beliefs and what they feel comfortable with, but for many couples having sex is a big part of getting closer early on in a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the course of three dates you can get a good sense of who your partner is and if it\u2019s worth taking the next step and having sex with them,\u201d explains Hokemeyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep Over
\n<\/strong>After 3 to 5 dates<\/em>
\n<\/strong>
\n\u201cAfter 3 to 5 dates you\u2019ll know who you\u2019re dealing with and if you want to move more deeply into the relationship,\u201d says Hokemeyer. \u201cSleeping over is an investment in that relationship. You\u2019re giving up your privacy and exposing yourself in your glamorous and unglamorous bits. To do this, you’ll need to have a level of trust that your vulnerabilities will not be violated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Each Other\u2019s Homes<\/strong>
\nDON\u2019T wait more than 1 month<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can learn a lot about a person\u2019s personality, taste, and habits from how they live.  \u201cOur living environments also speak volumes about who we are as people,\u201d says Hokemeyer. \u201cAre they messy or neat as a pin?  Are they filled with books or bongs?  The physical features of a home reveal great information about a person\u2019s psyche.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet Each Other\u2019s Friends<\/strong>
\nAfter 1 month<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can learn a lot about a person from their friends,\u201d says Hokemeyer. \u201cOur peer group reflects back our own personality. They speak volumes about who and what we value in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to not do this too soon as you don\u2019t want to be influenced by friends\u2019 opinions while you\u2019re still getting to know your new partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discuss Finances
\n<\/strong>After 1 month<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoney, and the host of issues surrounding it, is a leading cause of stress and break ups. That’s why it’s critically important to understand your partner’s views on money early in the game,\u201d says Hokemeyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t do it TOO soon, especially if you\u2019re unsure about the other person, says financial education manager at CredAbility, Deatra Riley<\/a>. “Your finances are very personal, and this could be a short-term relationship. You might not want someone to have that knowledge yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Work Functions Together<\/strong>
\nAfter 2 months<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not as serious as meeting family members, but Hokemeyer says that introducing a dating partner to colleagues does involve a level of commitment that\u2019s important for a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will give you an insight into how they are viewed by their colleagues,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is important data.  It will show you their potential for success in the realm of the world outside your relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet Each Other\u2019s Family
\n<\/strong>After 3 months<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s okay to put this one off for a few months as family introductions are significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey indicate the relationship is serious. They also give you great insight into your partner’s family of origin and issues that will come into your relationship,\u201d says Hokemeyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyss Stern, parenting expert and CEO of divamoms.com<\/a> adds, \u201cI would highly recommend that before bringing anybody home to meet the parents that they know this could be somebody that they are serious about and are having a REAL relationship with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel Together
\n<\/strong>After 6 months<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though, according to an Expedia-GfK survey<\/a>, 30% of people would take a trip with someone they\u2019ve only been dating for 1 to 3 months, remember that traveling together can make or break a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraveling, although it’s exciting and fun, can be stressful. It can also be pure fantasy. Before you take this step, you’ll need to get a good idea of your mate’s character. During the six months leading up to your trip, watch how they handle stress, the day to day responsibilities of life and their capacity to handle disagreements in your relationship,\u201d says Hokemeyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Move In Together<\/strong>
\nAfter 1 year<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may be one of the biggest steps for a new couple right before marriage. According to a survey by rent.com<\/a>, 37% of people agreed that six months to a year into dating is a good time to move in together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoving in together is when the rubber hits the road,\u201d says Hokemeyer.  \u201cYou’ll need to have a good idea of how stable the tires are. Don’t rush it. Also remember it\u2019s much easier to move in than to move out. Moving in is full of hope and promise. Moving out is full of regrets and failures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever you are on the new relationship timeline, it\u2019s good to remember that every relationship is different and moves and grows at its own pace. It\u2019s good to keep in mind the time it takes to build enough intimacy and understanding to meet each other\u2019s friends or discuss finances, but at the end of the day it\u2019s about what\u2019s comfortable for the two of you. If you\u2019re both happy taking a weekend trip after five dates, then go for it. If you need more than three months before you\u2019re ready to introduce your significant other to your mom, then take that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re wondering if your relationship is on schedule, the answer is in how you feel about it. Are you getting what you need? Is your partner? If the answer is yes, then chances are you\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each relationship moves at it’s own pace, but this timeline helps you learn the norms. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":13582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationship-stages"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe New Relationship Timeline - Are You on Schedule?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the key stages of the new relationship timeline that are important to keep your relationship healthy and moving forward to something fulfilling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The New Relationship Timeline - Are You on Schedule?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn the key stages of the new relationship timeline that are important to keep your relationship healthy and moving forward to something fulfilling.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-12T08:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-01T06:19:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ashley Papa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ashley Papa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The New Relationship Timeline - Are You on Schedule?","description":"Learn the key stages of the new relationship timeline that are important to keep your relationship healthy and moving forward to something fulfilling.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The New Relationship Timeline - Are You on Schedule?","og_description":"Learn the key stages of the new relationship timeline that are important to keep your relationship healthy and moving forward to something fulfilling.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/","og_site_name":"The Date Mix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","article_published_time":"2016-09-12T08:00:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-06-01T06:19:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ashley Papa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa","twitter_site":"@Zoosk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ashley Papa","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/"},"author":{"name":"Ashley Papa","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/d01fd7a2c0323f6db326ba54c2b49350"},"headline":"The New Relationship Timeline: Are You on Schedule?","datePublished":"2016-09-12T08:00:59+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-01T06:19:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/"},"wordCount":1156,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg","articleSection":["Relationship Stages"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/","name":"The New Relationship Timeline - Are You on Schedule?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg","datePublished":"2016-09-12T08:00:59+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-01T06:19:08+00:00","description":"Learn the key stages of the new relationship timeline that are important to keep your relationship healthy and moving forward to something fulfilling.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2016\/09\/14102901\/new-relationship-timeline.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"A couple following a new relationship timeline kissing and holding a heart."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/new-relationship-timeline\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Relationships","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Relationship Stages","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/relationship-stages\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The New Relationship Timeline: Are You on Schedule?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","name":"The Date Mix","description":"Dating and Relationship Advice for Today's Daters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization","name":"The Date Mix","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"The Date Mix"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Zoosk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/d01fd7a2c0323f6db326ba54c2b49350","name":"Ashley Papa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_74_1523036881-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/avatar_user_74_1523036881-96x96.jpg","caption":"Ashley Papa"},"description":"Ashley Papa is an experienced relationship writer. She is the author of the popular \"Vixen Investigations: The Mayoral Affairs\" and loves writing about it all: sex, love, dating, marriage, and \u201ccrimes of the heart\u201d. Ashley has been working with Zoosk to create engaging content around dating advice, relationship tips, and much more!","sameAs":["http:\/\/ashleypapa.com\/","https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/AshleyMPapa"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/author\/ashley-papa\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}