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.

People say that the only perfect relationships that exist are those between a blind woman and a deaf man. He can't hear her nagging and she can't see all the mess he creates on those odd occasions when he tries to complete one simple domestic chore.

Seriously what do you need for a great partnership? If you ask any old couple who have been together for decades, they will tell you honesty, respect, trust and a healthy dose of sexual attraction. The lust does wear off after the first heady couple of years but it should be replaced by a mutual fascination strong enough to ward off all temptation.

Honesty is important between couples. Even simple things such as always doing what you say you will pay off huge dividends. No relationship is without its ups and downs but if you know your partner always means what he says, it helps to trust him when things do get tough.

Trust doesn't just mean that you feel secure when he is with other women. It also means that you know he will be there for you. That he believes in you and your abilities as a person, a mother or whatever role you fill in life. And it goes both ways, you have to believe in him too.

Mutual respect is also very important. Life is difficult and there are enough people out there who will put you down without your partner doing it too. If you do have disagreements, keep it private. It is pointless and disrespectful to share the intimate details of your row with the whole world. When you have forgotten about it someone else is bound to remember and remind you!

Sometimes things can get a little stale in the bedroom. Life gets in the way either through having kids or stressful jobs, or financial problems. While you will not be making love as often as you did when you first met, if it has been a while you need to address it. There is a secret bond that keeps couples together and that only comes about by being intimate. It is not all about sex though. Gentle touching, a lingering hug, just holding hands and a wispered "I love you" are just as important, if not more important.

To have a deeply loving relationship you need to trust the other person with your heart. You must be able to tell them your innermost secrets and desires. Sharing special moments will help to deepen the bond that exists between you.

It is often difficult to remember to put your relationship as a priority but unless you nurture it, it may fade and die. Yes it may take some juggling but try and arrange a night just for the two of you to enjoy. Ban all talk of your relatives, the kids, your finances and aim to concentrate on each other. It doesn't need to end up in the bedroom; well not always!

Sharing good times will help you through the dark days that hit every couple even those in perfect relationships.

Don't hold out for perfect relationships because you'll only be disappointed. So many people sabotage their chances at love because they place their loved one and/or their relationship on a pedestal.

Until you change your definition of what perfect is you are doomed to failure again and again. You will also cause yourself and anyone you enter into a relationship with, a lot of pain.

No one is perfect, but someone can be perfect for you. There is a difference. The sooner you can make that distinction the sooner you'll have a real shot at having a great, loving relationship.

To get a better idea of what someone who is perfect for you would like, I've compiled a list of some of the most commonly desired traits in a partner. Of course your ideas could be different but these traits are fairly common and they provide a good place to start in examining what you consider perfect.

1.Understanding:

People are comfortable with someone who 'gets' them. If you sing in the shower, like weird food combination's, or just like to act goofy sometimes, you'll want a partner who can play along with you.

Everyone has their own little quirks and your perfect partner will, at the minimum, accept those quirks without making fun of you and at best will have the same or similar quirks. You won't want someone who will roll their eyes or ridicule you whenever you do these things. They should love you, and accept you, just as you are.

2. Good self esteem:

One of the biggest problems I see in relationships is when one party is insecure. This insecurity is often hidden and it can come across as many other things. Very often someone who is overly sexual or overly aggressive is actually just trying to compensate for and cover up a very strong sense of insecurity.

As you get to know someone keep a close eye out for their actions, this will tell you a lot. For example, how do they react when something embarrassing happens? Do they get angry, defensive? Do they lash out at you, this should be a huge, huge, red flag. Or do they laugh and shrug and go along with it good naturedly. If they do the latter it probably means that they are a secure confidant person, and that is a trait you want to look for in a partner.

3. Outlook:

Do they share similar views on things that are important to you? You don't have to agree on everything. It's possible some relationships can thrive even if both parties are very different in many of their views; though it will only work if both parties are mature and secure and don't feel threatened that the other one doesn't agree with them on various issues.

For the most part though, it will work better if you and your potential partner have a common ground on the main issues, your core beliefs. If you value honesty and fidelity, for example, you won't be happy with someone who lies and cheats.

Believe it or not, it's actually pretty easy to find perfect relationships, or at least perfect for you. The problem is that people see what they want to see and not what is really there. I know it can be hard, especially in the beginning, but it's important for the long term health and happiness of the relationship that you take off the blinders and see your partner as they really are, not as you want them to be.

Men, internet dating advice isn't hard to come by. Whether you're just getting started in the modern online dating scene or you want to brush up some rusty skills, here are some tips that can help you out.

Your main way of interacting on the internet will be through email. For those of you who aren't used to relating this way, you need to realize that much more thought and effort needs to be put into and email than say a phone conversation, for example. This is because what is read on the other end could be interpreted completely differently than what you intended.

So make sure you are clear and consise, not confusing. Also, when corresponding by email, don't go on and on and on about yourself and your life story. This is a big turn-off.

Instead, keep your emails short and ask her a lot of questions about herself. If she asks you a question, answer it briefly. The truth of the matter is, women want to do all of the talking (writing). And they want you to do the listening (reading).

A good rule of thumb is to keep all your e-mail replies less than three sentences long. Use the first two sentences to answer a question and the last sentence to ask her a question. If she hasn't asked you anything, just write a one-line question. Asking questions keeps your discussion going and shows her that you are thoughtful and interested.

Also, don't send too many email messages or instant messages. This only shows a woman that you have nothing better to do and makes you appear needy.

Another important rule to keep in mind is to stay away from any sex talk. . .unless she brings it up. And even then, don't go overboard. She may be testing you so feel out the situation before responding.

And perhaps the hardest men internet dating advice to follow is don't lie to impress a woman. It's tempting at first because you don't know these women and they aren't sitting right in front of you. That makes it extremely easy to beef yourself up a little bit. But what if you end up really liking a woman that you've been dating for a while and you'd like to get serious with her? Those lies will eventually catch up with you.

Finally, try not to get involved with too many women at one time. Although that situation may seem ideal to you now, it may backfire. You'll end up mixing up conversations, calling women by the wrong name and generally just gaining a bad reputation. So, when you do get a lot of replies to your personal ad, be very choosy about who you answer back.

Hopefully this men internet dating advice about how to communicate by email will help you in your online dating endeavors.

There are a lot of really tall women out there. And there are a lot of not-so-tall men who are attracted by them. But many feel that men dating taller women is an impossibility. Here are some tips for you shorter guys that can prove this wrong.

1. Don't make it an issue. Maybe you've tried approaching taller women before only to be shunned or laughed at. Maybe you've never even tried it out of fear or intimidation. Here's one thing you need to understand. Most tall women are perfectly fine with the fact that they are tall and you should be too. If you feel intimidated, it's because you are creating that feeling yourself. Most tall women are not going to purposefully try to intimidate anyone. Their height is not something they will use against you. Like any women, tall women care about what kind of guy you are. Not how tall (or short) you are.

2. Whatever you do. . .do NOT use the cheesy tall-women joke lines. Do you think that tall women have never heard them? that you are the first to show your "witty" self"? Do you want to make an impression? Don't even bring up the issue of height in any way, shape or form - hers or yours. Talk about something, anything, else.

3. Sadly, this seems to be one of the harder tasks for men dating taller women. Tall women want to be cuddled too. Hold their hand, put your arms around them. Wine and dine them. Maybe because of their height, they appear to strong to need this kind of attention. But they do. Show them that you love them for their height without making an issue out of it.

4. Ditch the sexual anxiety that you won't measure up in the bedroom. When it comes to sex, everyone is the same height.

5. This is a pretty obvious one but it's easy to do and makes a difference. Stop slouching and always practice good posture. Standing up straight not only makes you look taller, it actually makes you act and feel more confident. Always stand up straight with your shoulders squared. Make the most of your physical frame.

6. When in doubt, look at the stars. All of these famous on-the-short-side guys are dating (or married to) taller women: Michael J. Fox, Martin Sheen, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Dustin Hoffman, and Prince, just to name a few.

7. Stop worrying about what other people think. If you happen to be one of those men dating taller women, do you know what other guys are thinking when they see the two of you together? They're thinking. . ."he must be filthy rich" or they are thinking. . ."he must be great in the sack". Not bad, huh?