Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think people should sleep around. I think they should date casually until they meet someone they want to get more serious with. Dating casually means you date many people very platonically. You basically get to know people on a non-sexual level so that you can see if you want to become sexually involved.

When you want to "kick up your relationship" by adding sex, you should absolutely have the talk that asks if the other person wants to see only you. Don't assume it's going to happen. Ask. But only when you're ready to move forward.

That's not to say you have to talk about marriage or any of the traditional "where is this relationship going" type conversations that some daters love to have. What you should be doing instead is never worrying if the person is seeing someone else while you're dating casually. Don't pressure them to be "exclusive" and instead date a few more people (casually) yourself. Remember, though, "casual" does not equal "sex."

There's an article I recently read that makes me think there are probably a lot of people out there who are jumping into the sack rather than getting to know each other at a relaxed pace. They're so quick to start up a relationship, that they try and rush it with sex. And if you want a relationship that means something, you can't. There isn't a short cut to this.

That doesn't mean you should be a prude and never get involved. It means get involved physically when you know someone a little better. Date platonically a little while longer, and then bring up the sex subject. But remember, the sex subject should go hand in hand with exclusivity. Don't assume you are exclusive until you talk about it.