If you’re
an older woman seeking a male dating partner, the choices get slimmer with
time. Perhaps you have considered lowering the bar in terms of your preferences.
Perhaps not, especially if you’ve grown to love the freedom and carefree
lifestyle of single living without a partner. Older men, on the other hand,
look around and see more possibilities available among potential women to date
as they age. Options like Internet dating and speed dating add new flavors to old
traditions. Seems like choosing romantic partners is much different from the
days when they were all younger. But are older adults similar to young people
today in their dating choices?
Research on Internet dating profiles for 100 older adults and
100 younger adults indicate that older adults (and especially older women) were
more selective than younger adults when it came to the age, race, religion,
income, and height of a prospective dating partner. Perhaps these older adults
are more selective because of lessons they learned through the years. Being a little
picky can be a good thing when one doesn’t feel desperate.
But older adults can’t be viewed as a
homogeneous group. They include such a wide range of ages and types that their
quest for romantic love has to be categorized in three divisions: the
young-old, the middle-aged old, and the old-old. In terms of courtship, the young-old and middle-aged old are more likely to
mention adventure, romance, sexual interests, and seeking a soul mate and less
likely to mention health in their preferences.
Some older
adults concerned about the passage of time are using speed dating when they
want to quicken the dating process. After losing her husband of 47 years over
a year ago, Roz tries speed dating in her quest for friendship or romance. View
this video to see her results:
Frances
Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice
Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in
America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog
There is something sweet and radiant in second love,particularly when you've been separated from everyone else for quite a while.My b/f (yes I set out use that teenage term!!!) played a song for me a day or two ago that had this delightful lyric "New love is a surprise to a sleeping heart" and it really is.
ReplyDelete@Laura Smith.