Senior Singles: Dabbling with Dating


Senior Singles – Dabbling With Dating

Living a long and happy life with a partner is most people’s dream.  But what happens when that partner dies and you are left to carry on?  Kathy Damer, editor of Senior Dating.org, says your twilight years are not the time to throw in the towel on love.  In fact, she says, it’s a great time for retirees to start dating. “You are lucky indeed when you beat the divorce odds and enjoy a long and loving marriage.  I get it.”  But Kathy says, you can find love again.

One significant obstacle many seniors face is that they want to date, but their kids say ‘no.’” The death of a parent often makes the relationship between surviving parent and child much stronger.  Many times the roles reverse as the adult child feels the need to protect and even parent their mom or dad. Explain to them that no one can ever replace your deceased spouse. You need to show them you are competent and you need to make and stick to a promise to being very careful about giving out personal information, especially financial information.

Many retirees are leery of trying online dating and worry that it will ruin their reputation.  Kathy says you have absolutely nothing to feel embarrassed about when it comes to internet dating!  “The internet has become the biggest forum for bringing people together and developing romance over the last decade,” she says. Her advice?  Use the same cautions you would use, no matter where you find your new date. Yes, there are people who will abuse the system, but you can avoid being taken advantage of if you take your new dating relationship slow.

Here are some helpful tips:

    • Be extremely cautious about giving out your home phone number and address

    • Never give out personal information, like credit card numbers or social security numbers

    • Never give out money, especially if you feel pressured.

Dating during senior years can be fun, exciting and life changing.  Just use caution and enjoy the results!