Children help parents with Internet dating. Internet dating with no computer – children help parents with internet dating.
By Tom P Blake Finding Love After 50
Note from Tom: This column first ran in 2008.
Using the Internet to meet potential mates can be overwhelming for older singles, particularly those intimidated by computers. But their computer-savvy kids are starting to help them.
Lori, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, wrote, "I was browsing the web this morning in hopes of finding more information on seniors and dating for my mom, who is 73. I came across your newspaper article from May 2007 in the OC Register and wanted your opinion.
"My mom is a very beautiful and happy-go-lucky single widow who just moved from San Diego to be closer to her family. She is lonely and is willing to start meeting other seniors in OC in hopes of finding companionship and love.
"She never thought she would join an online service, yet as she see's other singles meeting their match, she has opened her mind. I met my fiancé on line and she loves him and looks forward to having him as her son-in-law.
"It was fun putting her profile together for her. I got it started, then, she got right in there and edited it to her liking. Now she is hooked. She checks her messages often and edits her photos, etc., in hopes she will attract her Mr. Right. So far she has not had much success but I keep encouraging her to hang in there. It takes time."
I congratulated Lori for helping her mom and told her to remind Mom that finding love for older singles is a numbers game, and indeed it takes time. Using the Internet to meet people is no guarantee that a person will find love, but it sure improves one's chances, as we see from the story below.
In addition to using the Internet, Lori's mom needs to include other activities where she's out meeting new people. Senior centers are great places to do that.
In a different situation, a man's two daughters helped him find love online. Yvonne (one of our subscribers), Illinois, explained how: "My sweetie, Dave, and I have been together a year and a half and I realize more every day how suited we are to one another. He's 68 and I'm 65 and each of us has been divorced for several years. We met on the Internet. Nothing unusual there, except, he doesn't own a computer nor has he ever used one!
"I, on the other hand, had been searching on several dating sites for about three years when one ad jumped out at me. It was written by two daughters living a thousand miles apart, feeling sad that their dad was lonely with very little resources to meet someone suitable.
"They 'stole' a picture and put his ad on Match.com without him knowing anything about it. His ad said, among other things, that he was "house-broken and did windows," which was a pleasant diversion from the same trite bios so many men had written.
"I responded (to the ad), plus his daughters printed a few others they also considered for him, and once he found out what they were up to, he said 'Let's go shopping,' not having a clue what was next or anything about Internet protocol.
"I wrote to 'him,' which, of course, his daughters intercepted. He picked my ad first, called, set up a first date - and we've never looked back. He says Internet dating is a 'piece of cake' while I just shake my head."
In my upcoming book, How 50 couples found love after 50, of the 50 couples featured, more than 30 of them found love on the Internet.
Internal link to book:
Older singles who don't use the Internet could be missing out on a valuable mate-seeking tool. They should enlist their children and friends to assist them in getting their profiles online. And when they do, they might get results similar to Dave's results--a nice sweetheart like Yvonne.