When I first started dating, a family-counselor friend told me that I’d know all I need to know if a man is a fit for me within the first 30 minutes of meeting him. I was incredulous. “Within only 30 minutes I will know if he is a fit for me? Not a full date?”…
How to detect the end is near
Many midlife women have shared that they are blindsided, as I have been, when a man breaks up with them or just disappears. We are curious what signs we missed that the end was coming. Here are a few things I and others have noticed in retrospect. He starts acting jerky. A friend shared with…
Boyfriend points
How does a man earn “boyfriend points” with you? Does he get points when he calls, takes you out, says nice things, brings you flowers? How about opens the door, helps with your coat, takes you to your favorite restaurant, compliments you, plans fun activities? Or acts with integrity, is kind to strangers, pets dogs…
Meet the … kids!
The film “Meet the Parents” showed how nerve wracking it can be to meet your sweetie’s parents. Well, how about when you meet his kids? That can be similarly unnerving, since if they don’t like you it can strain the relationship. I had the opportunity to meet my beau’s kids this week. At least two…
DG on AM Northwest
Yesterday morning I was interviewed by Helen Raptis and Dave Anderson on “AM Northwest” at KATU-TV, Portland, OR. What fun we had! They wanted my take on why midlife women undersold themselves on their dating profiles. They’d read “Are you arguing your limitations?” among other postings, liked what I had to say, so wanted me…
How hard must a man work to get a date with you?
Some women play hard to get on purpose. Some just end up being hard to get because of circumstances. What if a man asked you out 28 times before you said yes? He’s not a creep, nor a stalker, but someone who’s genuinely interested in you. He’s kinda cute, nice and pleasant, but you have…
“Tell me about yourself”
The first real-time contact with a potential date can be awkward. You may have a sketchy description from an online profile, or just a few minutes of information from the friend who connected you. You want to find out more about him, but you’re not sure how to ask without seeming like you’re interrogating. So…
Are you describing yourself compellingly?
“To say something nice about themselves, this is the hardest thing in the world for people to do.” —Nancy Friday If you are online dating, how do you describe yourself in your profile? Does it really reflect who you are? And if you’re not online, you might consider writing a description of yourself and what…
Do you love how he loves you?
Do you know how you want to be loved? What if a man loves you, but not quite the way you want to be loved? Will you stick with him, thinking that you can teach him how you want to be loved? Has that worked? I’ve been fortunate enough in my 2.5 years of dating…
Dance through dating — and life
“Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we should DANCE.” —Jerome Flowers This quote is from my Jazzercise instructor’s most recent newsletter. I thought it not only apropos as a life philosophy, but as a dating philosophy. I’m sure he meant this to be both literal and metaphorical…
“I don’t want a whipped boyfriend”
These words were uttered by my neighbor’s 16-year-old daughter as we were discussing dating. The three of us were sharing the nice things men we dated had done for us when she blurted this out. I was surprised, as I didn’t think any of the examples we shared would be considered signs of a man…