Advice for a First Anniversary Date

I love it when people ask me for advice about dating and relationships. I love sharing what I learned when I was single, and what I've learned since I got remarried. It makes me feel smart when someone asks for my opinion, and I am happy to help folks find true love--and to help their relationships grow stronger.

The other day a friend of mine (who I will call Hector because that's an awesome name and I've never actually known anyone named Hector) asked me for advice about an upcoming date. This is no ordinary date--it's the anniversary of his first date with Aphrodite, the woman he now loves and adores.

So far so good, right?

First Anniversary Date

Hector said he was planning to take Aphrodite to the same restaurant they went to on their first date. That's a sweet idea, and it's very sentimental in all the right ways. But if that's all he does on his First Anniversary, then Aphrodite is going to be disappointed.

Why? Because she's been there and done that. If Hector wants his woman to be happy, he needs to step it up. He can't do the same exact thing he did last year and expect Aphrodite to be happy with it. That's just not the way women think. If he does the same thing, she will wonder why he isn't trying harder.

(Ladies, if I am wrong about this, please leave a Comment and tell me so. But I'm pretty confident about this.)

Anniversaries Should Be Special

I told Hector the same old restaurant would be a great place to START his first anniversary date--for drinks. Then he should take her to a much fancier place for a romantic dinner. Make a big show about escorting her to the second restaurant--and do not let her know where they are going next. A women loves it when a man takes charge. All she has to do is enjoy the ride.

"But if you insist on going to the same old place for dinner, you need to up the ante by giving her a romantic gift," I told Hector. "You can't go wrong with jewelry."

Hector looked at me with wide eyes. "It sounds like I need to step up my game," he said.

"Bingo," I replied.

Other Dating and Relationships Topics

Let me know if there's a dating and relationships topic that you would like to see me address in a future blog post. I would love to know what issues you're dealing with and I'd love to give you an opinion. Thanks!

I would also like to thank the good folks at The Awesome Gang for the great review they posted about Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet by (yours truly) Chad Stone. You can read the review by clicking here: http://awesomegang.com/confessions-of-a-middle-aged-babe-magnet/

Also check out my website at www.middleagedbabemagnet.com. Until next time, this is Chad Stone, the Middle-Aged Babe Magnet, signing out.

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!