A Girl's Survival Guide: Dating In A Brave New World

Starting All Over Again After 40.

It's different from when we were in our 20's, ladies.

Sort of.

 Dating in your 40's (or any age) can be a real challenge. Sometimes it's just hard meeting single people  around your age that you find interesting.

Most of the guys I've met are from online dating sites. And as I travel along on this sometimes perilous journey, I've learned many valuable lessons

What is it like for a woman in her 40's who hasn't dated since her 20's?

I'll try to share what I have learned so far.

On-line dating ( I used match.com )

Getting Started: Creating Your Profile

Really take some time to create your profile. Keep it light-hearted and clever. For your "Dating Headline" try something like a quote or short joke. Stay away from any phrase that sounds like an advertisement ("Single Mom Looking For True Love")....yeah, you and everybody else.

Write about the things you like and how great you are, but with humor. Forget your "rules" and what you don't want. I've had good responses when I include a short paragraph::"my perfect match is...". Men like it when they know what is expected of them.

Do not mention past relationships in your profile. Avoid any complaining or negative comments about your past dating experiences.

Of course, you don't want to sound needy. Let them know that you can take care of yourself, but you are happy to accept help from time to time. Mention that you have kids, but don't go into details. If he's a good guy, he'll ask more about them later.

Men are very visual, they like to see lots of pictures of you. Be honest about your size, because he's going to find out eventually if it gets that far. I've had several guys ask me if I look like my picture and if the pic is up to date.

One guy told me about a woman he met on-line who stated "average" about her body type in her profile. They had several conversations on the phone, and he thought she was nice and interesting. But when they met, he realized that she was actually very heavy.(well those weren't his exact words) He said that the whole thing was very awkward for the both of them, and they never went out again.

I never dated that guy......maybe he was a jerk anyway, oh well.

I know you've heard this before, but really, you've got to just be yourself!

Try something different. Make a list of your top 10 best qualities, like the Top 10 on David Letterman.

Ask your friends for some input. I read a profile one time in which this guy's best friend wrote his "about me", only he wrote "about Jim." It actually was really sweet.

So don't be afraid to brag a little, Hey, they gotta know what a great catch you are!

If you don't believe that, nobody else will either.

Well, that's all for now, but I'm going to write another hub about the next step:

your "search", contacting each other for the first time, and the dreaded "first date."

So check back soon!!