Friday, September 25, 2009

Online Dating

IN THE NEWS: "Fla. cops caught playing Wii on the job." Read more HERE.

Hear ye, hear ye!

It has recently come to my attention that my very own seventy-five year old mother is now using an online dating service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, Jennifer. Breathe in. Breathe out.

And I have to say, I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

It's not that I feel she' s doing anything wrong necessarily or doing a disservice to my deceased father or anything, but it just feels... weird. Ya know?

She's meeting some nice men, though. I was very skeptical about that at first. Mainly because it's a FREE online service and also because it's called Plenty of Fish. Those two things didn't instill confidence in me. But she's been showing me the men who have responded to her post and she's been hooking some pretty good catches. (At least they look good on the computer.)

I'm not surprised. For seventy five, my mom happens to look fantastic, is very pretty, and is as healthy as a horse. You go, Mom!

PS. I learned something interesting about men and women from this site:

1) most widowed women will NOT go on these online dating services right away. Even my mom waited TEN years after my father passed away to even THINK about doing something like this.

2) On the other hand, most widowed men go on these online dating services about a year after their spouse has died.

Which goes to show you, men don't do well on their own. LOL!

I had a few friends in their thirties who were not married and had tried the online dating thing. It didn't work out for them. But then again, they didn't do it for very long. We'll see how this works out for my mom. :)

Have you ever tried an online dating service like eharmony or Plenty of Fish?
Would you?

22 comments:

Lesley Speller said...

I met my hubby online. We've been married going on 11 years. That was before the days of things like eHarmony and the like. So yes, were I not a happily married woman I'm sure I'd check out online dating services. I'm a pretty darn shy person and honestly the concept of real life dating is pretty horrifying to me. Going out and spending time with people you don't know? Ugh! Sounds like an exercise in torture!

Jessica Nelson said...

Just make sure your mom doesn't get robbed or something.
Otherwise, I hope she has FUN! I know a few couples who met online too. It's kind of cool.

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

Awww, how cute it that! It just goes to show you that people don't want to be alone...at any age. Romance never dies! I don't know that I would do it, but then I have never been in that situation. I almost think I would change churches and go to a big one that had large singles groups of every age. Who knows what I would do? :) Keep us updated!

Chicki Brown said...

That's fantastic! It's hard to meet someone decent, and the older you are the harder it becomes.

I agree with Jessica, though. There are a lot of men out there looking to romance older women out of their money, and they're very good at it. She needs to be really careful

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Are we weird or what? My husband and have this talk from time to time, you know, the "if you go first you'll remarry." "No, I won't. I won't need to."

~ Wendy

Jennifer Shirk said...

Wendy: My hubby and I talk about that, too!! LOL!

Natalie said...

That is so funny, but good for your mom. I've never used an online dating service. They were just getting popular when I met my husband. I did have a roommate that was totally addicted though (and she went out with some real losers because of it).

tamika said...

Hi Jennifer!

Keep breathing in and out...Sounds like the tables have turned and you have resumed mom role of worrying and protecting.

Keep a close watch, sounds like age has not dampered her appeal.

I'll be praying that she find a love that she is looking for.

Blessings to you...

Trisha Pearson said...

I've never used an online dating service but I know quite a few people who met online and are very happy together now.

But, still, I can understand how it would be weird to know your MOM is online dating!

Law and Order said...

It's tricky! Keep breathing. Still, I think it's cute; who wants to be lonely in their last years? I admire your Mum.

Kristen Painter said...

I met my hubby online and it will be 8 years this December. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I think your mom will be fine.

Deb said...

Ah, I hope it works out for your Mum! Companionship is a good thing.

Debora Dennis said...

I've heard so many success stories, a girl I work with has been dating a guy she met on eHarmony for two years now.

I'm sure she'll be careful.

Ana - The Writer Today said...

I have three friends who met their current spouses through an online dating service, and they are still married. I personally tried Match.com and married the man two years ago. My mistake, however, was that he was out of state and I made the move there, only to move back a year later. I think there is worthwhile men online but you have to be careful and screen them and get to know who is real and who is not.

In my case, the long distance was very challenging and it did not afford us an opportunity to get to know each other on a day in, day out basis. This to me, is an important factor, because if you can meet face to face then you can be a better judge of the person's character and how you get along. Seeing one another every two to three months was not enough. In my case, it turns out we are not compatible and it was sad for me to realize this, since I had put so much effort into making it work. Now I am back "home" and have to start from scratch, so to speak, and get my life back on track.

I am glad I have writing as an outlet and my blogger friends that I visit. I felt out of it for a while, but now I feel stronger each day and my continuing faith in God has helped tremendously. Thank you for having such a great blog.

Stephanie Faris said...

You should see the movie Must Love Dogs, where she deals with her father doing online dating. I read the book but can't remember if that part of it was in the book or not. I met my boyfriend on Yahoo Personals...it's a great way to get out there and meet people. The older you get, the harder it is.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

My aunt married a man she met over the Internet when she was 66, they have been married for two and a half years. They are a great couple.

Stephanie said...

LOL, that's how Bryan and I met! We got married 11 months later and the rest is history! ;o)

Jeanette Levellie said...

Well, I have always said men don't survive as well on their own as women. Now I know I'm right--ha!

I would have to think long and pray hard before I'd use an online service. However, I do know four couples that have used them and ended up happily married.

How well do they screen people? Perhpaps better than you could youself, huh?

Like you, I'm not too fond of the name! But I'm not the one using it...

Shelley Munro said...

Good for your Mom! As long as she makes sure she keeps safe I think it's a great idea.

I've never tried online dating, but I think a lot of people do find their partners this way these days.

Dawn Simon said...

We went to a wedding last weekend, and the bride and groom had met online.

I hope everything works out for your mom. She sounds great. :)

Roni Loren said...

My husband and I met online. Although it was before dating services took off. We just met each other in a chat room. (He was looking to talk about LSU football with someone, lol). That was ten years ago, two years later we got married. So eight years of happy marriage and one son later, I'd say the online thing CAN work. :)

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