Dating Advice You Can Use from the Babe Magnet Rules

There's no shortage of dating advice on the Internet. How do I know this? I've created a Google alert that sends me links to new stories that contain the terms "dating advice."

Consequently, I get multiple links every day to stories that offer dating advice that ranges from Dating Over 50 tips to Dating After Divorce advice.

But the quality of the advice leaves much to be desired, so today I decided to go to a source that I trust--myself.  This advice comes from Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet by Chad Stone.


Babe Magnet Rule #87


Be a gentleman. There are so few gentlemen left in the world these days, and being one is a great way to set yourself apart from all of the jerks that women have been dating.

The world doesn’t need any more a**holes. There are enough male jerks and narcissists in the world. Take a vow right now to be a gentleman. Treat women with the respect that they deserve. If it weren’t for women, men would have blown up Planet Earth a long time ago. So treat them with common courtesy (which, sadly, isn’t as common as it used to be).

• When you tell a woman that you’re going to call her, then call her.

• Hold the door open for her. Walk over to the passenger side of the car and open it for her. Then close it when she’s safely inside.

• Pull the chair out for her when you’re getting seated in a restaurant.

• Ask for her opinion and listen to the answer.

• When you’ve had a wonderful time with her, thank her.

• If you haven’t had a wonderful time with her and you don’t want to see her again, gently tell her that, too. Don’t make her wonder if she’ll hear from you during the next week or two. That’s torture.

• Tell the truth.

• If she’s cold, let her wear your jacket.

• Treat her with respect. Treat her as you would like to be treated. Not only will you help make the world a better place, but you’ll get the Babe.

Now that, gentlemen, is dating advice that you can actually use. Although these tips might sound old-fashioned, behaving like a gentleman will increase your odds of getting the Babe you want.

AARP Enters Online Dating Over 50 Marketplace

I read with great interest the recent announcement that AARP, the huge organization comprised of American senior citizens, has now officially entered the online dating over 50 world.

The organization has launched the AARP Dating website, which gives single adults over the age of 50 a place to meet—and hopefully connect and fall in love. Yep, AARP is getting into the online dating business.

“More and more 50-plus singles are using Internet dating sites, and we want to provide a comfortable environment for them to get out and take a chance on love again or go on fun dates,” said Myrna Blyth, editorial director of AARP’s media division.

Although it sounds like a logical move for AARP, to yours truly, Chad Stone the Middle-Aged Babe Magnet, it’s a surprising announcement. In the past, AARP hasn’t paid much attention to single Americans who fall into the “dating over 50” demographic. Furthermore, AARP takes itself very seriously. I have sent several editors at AARP the Magazine copies of my humorous memoir, Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet: One Man’s Brave Adventure into Dating Again in the 21st Century. They have ignored the book, probably because it’s too much fun and it doesn’t fit into the money-centric focus of the organization.

That’s too bad, because there are lots of AARP members who are dating over 50 years old—and they are probably as clueless as I was when I started my dating after divorce adventure. Those folks could benefit from the lessons I learned and the hard-won dating wisdom that I acquired about everything from online dating to how to have a great first date.

I wanted to learn more about the AARP’s Internet dating site, so I visited. www.AARPDating.com. My web browser redirected me to www.humpbackjunk.com. This site offers a “Full-service local junk removal” service. (I am not making this up. Really.) So the poor, unsuspecting over 50 singles who type in www.AARPDating.com get the not-so-subtle message that they are not only over the hill, but they are junk to be hauled away.

Sorry, but that sounds like an episode of The Simpsons to me.

I re-read the AARP news release and discovered that AARP Dating was a “new dating content channel” on www.aarp.org, so I went there. Sure enough, the dating link was right at the top of the site. (But the image of the “full-service local junk removal” service still lingered.)

The introductory story gave a short overview of the new dating over 50 service. Basically, it sounds a lot like match.com. You’re allowed to poke around for a while, but to communicate with another member you need to sign up for a subscription. It’s $17.50 for one month for AARP members or $53.94 for one year for AARP members. If you’re an AARP member, you can also get a seven-day free trial.

I’ll post a more extensive review of the site in the future. But for now, let me officially welcome AARP into online dating. I hope they don’t try to be so serious about AARP Dating that they totally mess it up. After all, looking for the love of your life—no matter how young or old you are—should be fun!

Holiday Dating Survival Guide

The Holiday Season is the most wonderful time of the year. But maybe not so much if you’re single and your mom, Aunt Gertrude, best friend, and maybe even (if you’re single again for the second or third time) your kids are bugging you about still being single.

“Have you found anyone nice?” they all ask.

So what do you say in response?

Here’s my Holiday Dating Survival Guide, which offers some great holiday dating tips that will get you through the holiday season with a smile on your face—and maybe even a new sweetheart in your life.

Stay Positive

Singlehood is not a disease. You are not afflicted with a contagious virus, so don’t beat yourself up over being single during the holidays. Don’t think of being single as a misfortune. Don’t let anyone bring your mood down.

Say Yes to Holiday Parties

Even if it’s probably going to be primarily a couples event, put on your best smile and your festive holiday clothes and go to the party. Go simply for the adventure of it. Decide in advance that you’re going to have fun. You never know, there might be a great single man or woman there for you to meet. If so, and you’re outnumbered by couples, you might find yourself bonding over your singleness.

Deflect and Distract

When someone nosy asks about your love life, deflect and distract. If you don’t want to talk about yourself, just say something like, “There’s no news on that topic yet, but stay tuned to CNN for further developments.” Then launch into a summary of your latest accomplishments at work, or ask a question about them.

Be Open to Meeting Someone Special

Because there are so many parties and social events during the holidays, it’s a good time to meet someone. In fact, this is a great time of year to meet a new love. There is romance in the air and mistletoe hanging everywhere. Take advantage of it, and strike up a conversation with that cute guy or that adorable babe over there. But use your best manners, because the holiday season is an old-fashioned, old-school time of year.

Leave the Cheesy Pickup Lines at Home

The best ice-breakers are light-hearted and spontaneous. Talk about your favorite-- or least favorite-- Christmas songs. Compliment a person on her holiday dress or his holiday sweater. You could even say, “Hey, it looks like we’re, the only singles here, so the rule is we have to talk to each other. My name’s Chad, what’s yours?” Almost anything said with a genuine smile can be a great opening line.

Invite Someone to a Holiday Party

A holiday party offers a great opportunity to get to know someone better. If you’re dating someone now but you haven’t yet crossed over into full couplehood, a holiday party can be a great bonding experience for the two of you. Tell your date ahead of time who is going to be at the party and what kinds of things they might talk about. If it’s a family event, warn her (or him) about the family members who are likely to ask the most intrusive questions. You might even want to establish a “rescue sign” that you can flash from across the room if your date needs you to rush over and be her knight in shining armor.

Use Your Very Best Manners

 The Holiday Season is the best time of year to dress up nice, say please and thank you, and use your very best old-fashioned manners. You almost can’t be too polite—even if it borders on corniness. We all get a little mushy and nostalgic during this time of year, so remember to arrive bearing gifts for the host/hostess and genuine compliments for everyone!

There’s more dating advice and tips at www.middleagedbabemagnet.com. If you have any single people on your holiday gift list, Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet by yours truly, Chad Stone, makes a great gift! Clickhere to buy it.