In ‘intimate’ relationships, we date/court people (I call the evaluation stage), and maybe, decide to marry. Courtship/dating (some people use it interchangeably) is some kind of ‘test the mic’ situations people go through together as they prepare for marriage and it is very important (in our present day and age) in building a strong bond. One cannot be extremely alert in life because we cannot walk on egg shells all the time. We sometimes let our guards down in relationships because we can’t co-exist if we don’t place a level of trust/acceptance in our relationships.
Lately, during courtship period, we wear the love-tinted glasses to pursue whatever we seek in a spouse. Some people place emphasis on the length of relationship as the main factor when they want to settle down and others use ‘love’ as their yardstick during the ‘testing’ period.
The reason for courtship is to get to know the person, not the body. The courting period is the time to talk and know if you’re comfortable with what you can live with/without and what you cannot ‘accommodate’. Your individual beliefs, thoughts, feelings, needs and expectations (but not mountain high expectations) should be put into consideration. Sometimes it is not the level of compatibility that holds the marriage together; it is the ability of couples to manage their inevitable differences.