How to find a date when you're over 50

Have you ever tried to find a date when you are over 50?

Should I look for a companion who is older or younger than me? Should I look for a new spouse or just a friend? Many seniors struggle with these and other dating related questions on a regular basis. As a matter of fact and to get straight to the point, growing old often leads to growing lonely for many senior citizens. Consequently, seniors don’t know where to start, who to trust or what to do to find a companion.

determine: if, when and why you want to date

Dating is serious at any age. But as a senior citizen it is even more serious and challenging. When you are trying to find a mate or a date and you’re over 50. It may help if you know why you want to date. You should consider these factors before you begin your search

are you rebound dating after a divorce
are you feeling lonely after the death of your spouse
are you just looking for companionship
are you looking for a new spouse
do you plan to have pre-martial sex
how do you feel about discussing grandchildren

I suggest that you have a serious talk with yourself and iron out any issues that could affect your relationships. Then, after you are sure about your decision, speak to your best friend about your decision and your ideas about dating.

what if you just want companionship but your date wants a mate

I believe that companionship is great when it is girlfriend to girlfriend or homeboy to homeboy. But, male to female companionships may lead you to merky waters or bitterness. I have found that someone always gets hurt in male to female companionship relationships. It seems that eventually one of the two becomes more interested in something other than friendship. This problems occurs more often when sex is involved. So I will say, enter your companionship relationships with the opposite sex very cautiously.

make your family aware of your dating plans

We all know that as we age, our children become more protective. Quite often our children take on the responsibility of investigating our friends. So you may find it beneficial to inform your children of your plans to date. Also, tell them why and when you plan to start dating.

how to find the right person to date

When you are trying to find a date and you are over 50, it is not as simple as it was at 17. Consequently, searching for a date when you’re over 50 is very challenging. But, you still want to have an ideal of who you are looking to find. Therefore, create a checklist of “must haves” for your companion. Here are a few things you may want to include or how you may want to set-up your checklist. My date

must have same religious beliefs
must be athletic- like to exercise
must be an non-alcoholic drinker
must be a non-smoker

The most important thing in all of this is to know yourself. Determine what your word “compatible” really means to you. Knowing how you feel will help you protect your emotions by steering you away for the wrong relationships.

So where do you start with your search for the right date

Depending on your personal checklist of must haves, you could start with your place of worship. Many churches have senior groups. Consequently, joining a senior group in your own church might allow you to check-off one of your requirements. Another safe place to join and meet age level peers is your workout facility.

Some gyms have special groups like silver sneakers. These groups usually allow you to meet people with like interests. Another reliable source of meeting someone is through friends and family. Meeting someone through people you know should provide you with a very high level of certainty about the person. It should also provide a certain level of security in how much you can trust the person. Finally, another good and possibly safe place to meet someone is at a senior citizen center. Senior citizen centers allow you to get to know people around your community.

Dating Websites for 50 and Over

I personally do not recommend any dating websites. Research shows that a large percent (6%if seniors age 55 to 64) use online dating sites. I caution all of my readers to watch out for scammers that also use these sites. Therefore, I have not listed any in this article.

First Date Jitters at 50

Now that you have found that special someone. How do you handle your first date jitters? Well, you handle them with respect and dignity. So you want to be on time and dress according to your outing. Also, remember when you gave your daughter money for the pay phone. Then you told her to keep it just in case she needed to call you to come and get her.

Take your cell phone in case you need to call for a ride home. Also, save your picture sharing for a future date. Finally, save your strong feelings about political issues, your ex and other strong issues for the next date.

is 50 too young to talk about sTDs

Now let’s talk about sex. Remember way back at the beginning of this article when I said “determine” how you feel about premarital sex? Well now is the time to say how you feel about premarital sex. No matter what you think, remember that STDs do not have an age limit. Therefore, be safe if you decide to have sex.

Conclusion

We began the article stating some of the questions that may be going on in the mind of a senior over 50 and trying to get a date. Next we suggested that you have a serious talk with yourself about your desire to date, and what a date looks like to you. We move forward to the places or people we feel would be the safest for finding a date. We state our feelings about dating websites. I reiterate, I do not believe they are safe so I did not include any in this article. After that we discuss the first date jitters and the reality of STD’s.

Resources

Click on the blue link to learn more about senior living communities.

5 Things to About Dating for Seniors, retirementliving.com Seniors and Dating, aginginplace.org Dating Advice for Senior Citizens, senior.lovetoknow .com