Forget knitting, crochet or golf. Senior Citizens Dating is booming as many of us reach retirement and realise that the golden years are ideal for sharing.

The family is raised - well yes I know they are probably still your babies and may even be living at home (when will they move out?) but in fairness once they hit 30 your job is done. The career ladder has been climbed, the retirement check has been cashed, but you are not yet ready for a life of rocking chairs and bingo.

Dating at any age can be nerve racking. Now we are older, we have, hopefully!, accepted that we aren't Grace Kelly or Rock Hudson. We are generally happy with our appearance although we would make an effort when going on a date. We have achieved most of what we want out of life so are not looking to another person to provide us with a family or stability. Just someone to share precious moments.

But while we may be happy with our lives and feel confident in most areas, it is very rare not to feel nervous when you first contact a senior citizen dating service. What type of service would you prefer to use? You can access senior online dating services, a senior dating group or the personals in your local paper should have a section for seniors.

So how do you prepare for your first senior date? Well to all intents and purposes it is almost like an interview. You need to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. Some dating companies will ask you to complete a questionnaire detailing these.

It can be difficult to write a paragraph describing yourself in the best possible light but your best friends could help a lot. Just ask them to give you a list of your best qualities and to put your less attractive personality traits in the most positive language possible. For example, if you have a tendency to talk incessantly - a common complaint among us women, your best friend is not likely to describe you as having verbal diarrhea. Instead they may say you are exuberant or enthusiastic.

I am not suggesting you lie. It is a waste of time although very common. Have you ever looked at the personal ads? Almost every person describes themselves as having a GSOH i.e. a great sense of humour. Only say that if it is true. Your perfect match may not want someone who cracks jokes every five minutes. Be yourself, don't try to be someone else.

Also think about the qualities that you would like your partner to have. Would they be married, divorced, single or widowed? Does their religious or cultural background matter to you? What about their financial status?

Going dating is rather like going shopping. You hope that you will find the perfect match but you should be willing to enjoy the experience regardless. I think we should look, at senior citizens, dating as a way to grab whatever opportunities we have to enjoy our lives as much as possible.

Senior citizen dating is far more common today than it once was. When marriages lasted for life, there was less need for older people to go out on dates. There has also always been some sense of taboo about older people needing companionship and romance in the later years of their life. But, as boomers age and their marriages fall apart, these taboos are falling away as well.

Going out on a first date is daunting no matter what your age is. At 16, there is anxiety and awkwardness. At 30, there may be a sense of desperation to find and land a mate. But at 50, there are another set of issues.

For one thing, many people in this age group have not been on a date in a long time. They feel out of practice. This article will give you some tips on how to approach a first date for senior citizen dating.

First of all, plan where you are going to go carefully. Remember, you do not have to commit to a full evening of events such as dinner and a movie. In fact, meeting for lunch or coffee may actually relieve some of the tension and first date jitters.

If you have a shared interest, it can be a good idea to plan a date around that. For instance, art lovers may enjoy a stroll around an art gallery or museum. You will find you have more to talk about when you have something in common.

Many people are not comfortable meeting someone alone on a first date. Lets face it, there are a lot of psychos out there. A senior citizen dating someone for the first time should consider meeting in a public place and arriving separately. That way, if things just are not right, either one can choose to end the date quickly. As an extra precaution, always let a friend or family member know where you are going and who you are going with.

It can be hard to meet new people for senior citizens. They have busy lives and have been involved with the same organizations for a long time. Sometimes meeting new people means breaking out of the mold and doing something new. This can include joining new organizations or taking up a new hobby.

Another option for senior citizen dating is to go onto one of the dating sites for mature people. These sites specialize in creating matches among the older set. They work the same way as dating sites for the general population, but are marketed to the 50 plus crowd.

Love and romance does not have to end as people age. Senior citizen dating is alive and well and we should all give a cheer for it.

Anyone that finds themselves in the dating scene will soon find that there is a specific order of people involved in that scene. This is often considered a pecking order. The process of establishing a pecking order results in clear definitions of who is the top and who is the bottom in situations that occur. For instance, a situation where one person takes control and the other follows that leader would be an example of pecking order. The top is the person that takes control and the bottom follows the leader.

A main component of pecking order revolves around a persons level of self confidence. Followers most often do not have very much confidence within themselves. Those willing to take control and lead are confident in themselves. They know what they want. They have direction and focus in their lives.

Self confidence is a huge factor in a successful relationship. You need to be confident if you plan on having a meaningful relationship. Confidence is something that is conveyed very clearly to other people. If you are confident in yourself this will radiate from you. You are much more likely to attract a potential mate if you are positive. You are also much more likely to start a conversation with other people and to be open to all of the new opportunities that can potentially present themselves.

At the same time, the bottom people in a relationship have their place also. It is not a bad thing to be a bottom or person that is more reserved. These people are also important within the relationship. Even in a relationship where both people are more confident and sure of themselves, one person is going to end up being the top and more in control of the relationship.

This is a fact of life. It is the way that humans are programmed and how we are meant to react. It is not a reaction that we have any control over. However, we can control which side of the pecking order we are found in. You can work to make yourself more confident and self assured.

In dong this, you will be changing the way that you react to situations and different aspects of life. You will also come across more positively to everyone that you come in contact with. In being more positive you are much more likely to have better, more meaningful relationships that can last for a long time to come.

The first thing that you need to do when making decisions about entering into a relationship is to figure out where your place is within the pecking order. If you are a leader, use that to your advantage. If you are a follower, seek out a leader that you are compatible with.

Two people that are compatible have the best chance of their relationship working out. If you are both the same within the pecking order, there will be conflict and constant struggling between you.