The Fling's the Thing!

To be perfectly honest, the summer fling is unavoidable. It's like the chickenpox of the teenage dating world—it happens to everyone at some point. It can happen at camp, at summer school, while on vacation. I mean, really, no one is safe. There's some alchemic combination of the summer sun and a teen's raging hormones that makes the short romance blossom. Is it worth it? Um, yeah.

I'm a relationship kind of gal. I am into monogamy and serious commitment, so I was as surprised as anyone when I embarked on a flirtation with a comely guy I met at theater camp. Maybe it was because I was spending the whole summer away from home for the first time, or that I had just ended things with Awkward Boy, but I was in a particularly flirty mood. Theater Dude had his friends, and I had mine, but whenever there was a group hang out situation going on, we were drawn together. Now, nothing ever came of the flirtation, although we did have some steamy dance moments, but once the summer ended we never spoke again (and we both had each other's contact info).

So what gives? Well, the chances of actually forming a real relationship with someone you meet at camp and live nowhere near are slim. But ending up with a serious committed relationship isn't what the summer fling is about. It's about living in the moment and feeling free for a change. The fling isn't supposed to last, and that's part of the appeal. It's a blip in your dating history (if you decide to tell anyone, that is), an insignificant moment. But they are not-to-be-missed fun. If you're ever in doubt about the awesomeness of a summer fling, you need only watch the opening sequence of Grease.

So have you ever had a summer fling, and if so, please spill the details!