7 Tips for Dating After Age 50

How to meet new people and ace your first date

By Emily Brandon

Posted: February 20, 2009

Mention, but don't dwell on kids. It's important to mention that you have children in passing or if asked, but don't talk about their first words or college choices for two hours. “When people talk about their exes and their children, it's boring,” says Sills. “Your children are never ever as fascinating to other people as they are to you.”

Don't mention your ex. It probably goes without saying that by age 50, you have had a few love relationships in your life. There's no need to give a new love interest the play-by-play. “People in their 50s often have a history of being in a relationship where it didn't go well,” says Gray. But that's no excuse for imposing that resentment on a different person, he says. Don't talk about your dating life, either. “Cute, funny stories about horrible men you have dated do not make men laugh,” cautions Sills. “Don't bring up your ex-husband or your ex-wife for a very long time."

Lelan of TX

I just turned 52 and I am new to the "dating" scene after a 20 year marriage that I thought would never end!lol I joined an online dating site and paid good money and I haven't had anything but disappointment and hurt feelings. I am well educated, have a good stable career and I want to continue to earn income until I'm too old... but I am finding that is not what men want or at least the one's I have been "matched" with! All I hear from friends and relatives is "your goodlooking... well-educated... and you should have no trouble finding someone! Not so!

Lelan of TX @ Nov 15, 2009 21:28:28 PM

Knowledge gained

Be real careful. People aren't always as they seem. Trust your instincts. Don't believe everything your date says. If your dog doesn't like your date, trust your dog's instinct about the person. If your dog doesn't like the person, there is something the dog is sensing that isn't good.

Janie Wigley of AL @ Nov 12, 2009 04:12:14 AM

Muddy waters

Dating after 45 and well into the 50's is like trying to navigate through muddy waters on a black night. Just getting past the walls and getting to know someone is more work than getting a BA and has all the merits of BS.... It's just plain hard to find good people who know what they really want and aren't afraid to commit to something bigger than themselves.

T of TX @ Nov 07, 2009 15:30:51 PM

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