Dating After 50 — Clarify Your Expectations

Emil Lahr
Emil Lahr
Sep 2, 2018 · 3 min read

You’ve made the big step of getting back into the dating game. Have you thought about what your expectations are in a relationship? What are you looking for in a relationship — both in the short term and in the long term? It’s important that you be realistic to avoid disappointment.

In your mind, it might be nice to envision Prince Charming riding up in his Lamborghini whisking you off to his $5 million dollar beach front home, for you to be pampered, wined and dined, and live a life of royalty, that’ likely not very realistic. While a bit of an exaggeration, you get the idea.

What type of relationship are you looking for? Be honest with yourself. It’s okay to want to have romance and a companion, but not want to get married. It’s even okay to want to find your companionship simply through the act of dating without any more serious commitment. There is no right or wrong answer here, except what’s right for you and what you are expecting out of your relationship.

By clarifying what your expectations are and what you want out of your relationship you will do a much better job of finding another that has the same expectations as you. If you are looking for marriage, there’s little point in dating someone long-term that has no intention of ever marrying. If you are looking for a fun, easygoing relationship then you don’t want to be dating a man that’s goal is marriage.

When clarifying your expectations there are few things to consider:

· What type of relationship are you looking for? — Marriage, live-in, friendship, serious, non-serious, etc.

· What is your idea of a romantic relationship? What’s important to you? What must you have for you to be happy and for the relationship to work? For example, if you require someone that is emotionally available and open then there is no point in becoming involved with a man that is distant and unable to communicate his feelings.

· Are you open to an extended family?

· Do you have income expectations?

· Do you have career expectations?

· What type of expectations do you have physically?

· What type of expectations do you have age related?

Of course, there’s no law that says once you outline your expectations you must stick to them, but they definitely will make it much easier when you are beginning to date. This is especially true if you are planning to use online dating sites. As you review profiles you can quickly decide if you might be interested in meeting with someone based on your own expectations.

It takes a strong and confident woman to be able to define what her expectations in a partner are. That said; don’t be a bit surprised if you suddenly find yourself falling for someone that doesn’t meet your expectations. That’s the beauty of romance and love. Too often, we find ourselves falling in love with someone that we would never dream of falling for. Then again, variety is the spice of life and it certainly keeps romance interesting — after all, the unknown is a powerful aphrodisiac.

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