Dating After 50: Negotiating the Minefields of Mid-Life Romance

By Sharon Romm

Book Overview

Dating seems scary, especially if you haven't dated in a long time, but it can be manageable and even fun if you remember to go at your own pace and stay in your comfort zone. Think of it as similar to a job search in which you are looking for a good fit between your interests and requirements and the needs of your potential companion. In Dating After 50, you'll learn the safest and most efficient way to find dates, but the story doesn't end once you've planned a second date. You'll get help negotiating the early months of your relationship. You'll find out what's reasonable to tolerate and how to set limits. Expect sound advice on managing second families, jealousy, former spouses, rejection, money, benefits, retirement and a host of other issues common to later-life relationships. Learn when you should consider ending a relationship and how to do it with dignity and a minimum of distress

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1884956394
• ISBN13: 9781884956393
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Quill Driver Books
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Sound and Reliable Advice

This book is meant for people who need reassurance as they get into dating after years of absence, usually because they have been in long-term relationships. Romm gives a very helpful overview of the process, from how to go about meeting prospective dates, to how to handle a first date, and even to how to break up and move on if that is needed. She strongly recommends using printed ads and much of her advice is geared to writing a good add and dealing with the issues that come up as the result of meeting people through ads. But she is not focused very narrowly on advertising, for she has an entire chapter on how to meet people through other strategies such as getting into different organizations. She mentions online dating tangentially, even though much of what she says about printed ads can also be applied to developing profiles and meeting people through online services. She also has an excellent chapter on when and under what circumstances to begin having sex with your date. My only criticism is that she could have dealt more directly and extensively with online dating, for that seems to be the wave of the future. Even so, this book is full of helpful ideas and sound guidance. I recommend it highly. Gordon Scott Edwards, author of Internet Safari, Finding Love Online At 65

Good information, easy read, encouraging

I wish I had read this book first, because it offers so much practical advice for our age group. Especially good is the review of different personal profiles with good tips for writing your own. Every step of building a relationship is addressed with straight forward suggestions to think about, from getting ready to breaking up.

Excellent resource for the older adults seeking love

I simply do not understand the two previous reviews. This book is a gem for its sensible advice, its humor, its destruction of the negative myths surrounding later life love. It's full of good do's and don'ts and as far as suggesting that one keep a notebook of one's online activity, it's a great idea. I have seen friends get overwhelmed with the responses online and they needed help remembering and sorting out who sent what and what that person was like. Excellent advice about first dates, too---even giving scripts for ending the date if it is obvious that there is no match. Dr. Romm offers the valuable double perspective of someone who has been dating online herself and of a professional who is not only a psychiatrist but also sees clients who are wrestling with these issues. I am giving this book to some friends who are afraid to try to find a match online. They will be in good hands.

The dating is in the details

You're a smart, accomplished, mature adult with a lot to offer. You're professionally competent and confident. But does the idea of launching a romantic voyage of discovery just feel too overwhelming, confusing and potentially embarrassing? If so, read this book for an even-handed exploration of the modern possibilities for meeting new partners and friends. It's hard for sophisticated adults to subject themselves to the uncertainties of looking for love and Ms Romm uses matter-of-fact examples and her own experience to lower the anxiety threshold and explore the options, step-by-step. Most current dating books focus on the internet as the most efficient way to connect with appropriate new partners and this one does, too. The author details her own experiences and provides lots of practical advice from how to word your descriptions, to where and how to meet, topics to steer clear of, red flags, guidelines and positive reinforcement. And she even gives you some help with how to kindly phrase and deliver a graceful exit speech too, which let's face it you're going to have to manage at some point unless you marry the first person you meet.

A whole new set of rules for dating

Midlife romance isn't the same as first-time dating: if you haven't dated for a long time and are older, there's a whole new set of rules for dating, from advertising for a date and changing attitude to handling expectations on all sides. Dr. Sharon Romm covers all these attitude concerns in Dating After 50: Negotiating The Minefields Of Mid-Life Romance, packed with tips on the safest, most efficient way to find dates - and how to go on them successfully. Older adults will find practical tips range from handling second families and former spouses to money and retirement concerns.