Dating is about getting to know someone. A potential someone special.

While playing the dating game, here are red flags your date may exhibit that should send you running in the opposite direction:

•            Anger

•            Smothering

•            Focus on the physical aspect of the relationship

•            Addictive behaviors (alcohol, spending, girl watching, drugs, pornography, computers, television, movies—anything that controls him and takes the place of God in his life)

•            Disrespectful to his mother, sisters, waitress, and other women

•            Uncomfortable making eye contact

•            Secretive

•            Manipulative

•            Disrespectful of your boundaries (One friend described how her date pushed himself past her to tour every room in her home. She felt violated by his lack of respect.)

•            Bulldozes through your “no”

•            Unhappy

•            Critical

•            Places responsibility for his emotions on others (“You made me . . .”)

•            Unable to remember blocks of his childhood (This can be a typical survival response to abuse. If it is not faced and dealt with, the behavior comes out sidewise and adversely affects family members.)

These indicators will help you differentiate between a Bozo and a Boaz.