5 things not to reveal on the first date
By Christopher DeLorenzo

It's happened to all of us: You're excited about that first date, but it ends up being a total disaster. You may have a good laugh about it later, but right now all you can ask is, “What happened?"
It’s simple, really: You gave away too much information. Next time, make sure you're prepared. Study this list of five things never to reveal before the second date.

1. Past relationships
There's nothing worse than a date who talks incessantly about a past love. “He treated me so badly” or “She was so good to me.” Whatever the case, this one’s a no-brainer: The first date is not the time to drone on about all of your past love affairs.

2. How many other people you're dating
This always feels icky. It's as though you’re saying, “This is a competition, and you’re falling behind.” C'mon! You can't possibly compete with strangers nor should you feel you have to. If your date catches you playing this game, say goodbye to date #2.

3. You're looking for an immediate commitment
I'm not knocking a common desire that many of us have, but your date will feel your desperation. If you spend your first dates scrutinizing a potential match for commitment potential, you’ll be in the first-date dating game for a long, long time.

4. How much you hate your parents
We all have conflicts with our families, and most of us understand that family issues inevitably appear in intimate relationships as well. Don't misrepresent yourself, but don't vent about your family in front of a date. It's bad form — and it could be interpreted by your date as a sign of things to come.

5. How much you hate your job
The wonderful thing about our world today is that many people make several career changes in their life. If we're unhappy in our current profession, we always have the option of creating change. Monologues about how you feel "stuck" or stagnant certainly won't inspire confidence in your ability to respond effectively to negative life situations.

Don’t keep it too light on the first date; it's great to talk about political opinions and other serious issues when you're getting to know someone new. How else will you figure out what you have in common? But keep in mind that if you're doing most of the talking — and if what you're talking about is mostly negative, you're probably not going to have a second date.

And please don't make me say, "I told you so."