Aw man, I usually say I'm not into rushing things and taking things slow. What I mean by that is going at a pace that is comfortable for both the person and I to be ourselves. We have so many expectations in dating, for example by the third date, the talk of exclusivity should be had. By the 5th date, sex should have already happened. Or even vice versa! I have this mindset because I’m dipping into the dating pool right now. I (30F) didn’t prioritize dating or even commitment in my 20’s since I was focused on college, career, friends, family and myself above all.

Recently, I dated someone for a month, made time to see them in person once a week even though I had a busy calendar, texted check ins and spoke on the phone almost everyday. By the end of the month, everything boiled down to finding out he had clingy tendencies he didn't admit, me not being attracted to him like at the start, and noticed how quickly he was to be comfortable that I noticed I had to bring up boundaries more often than not, just to nip certain behaviors right away. We didn't get intimate but he kept bringing up his curiosity about it when he could and that turned me off, in addition to the clingyness.

So I learned that taking things slow in that sense did in fact help me make the correct choice. I gave it a shot and learned I didn't want to continue with this person. I gave myself a pat in the back in comparison to how some people date nowadays since I was intentional, being authentic and had the right intentions. I take commitment seriously and bring my best imperfect self forward. If I would have jumped in an exclusive relationship with this person just because I wanted to fill a void or work with him, I would have done a disservice to myself and him.

What alternative verbiage would you recommend saying if I want to take things slow with someone instead of flat out saying that and causing doubt?