You may ask your kids for their thoughts on music, that new outfit or what to have for dinner ... but on who to date? That's the premise behind myLovelyParent, a new online dating website for people 50 and older based in Britain.
The site was created by two brothers (one is 34, the other in his early 40s) who want to help their "very lovely single mum in her 60s" find "handsome chaps" for friendship or companionship. According to their blog chronicling the new website's beginnings, it's an idea that's sat with them for awhile:
...we’re trying to open up the world of online dating to our parents’ generation. They’re a generation who, on the whole, are less digitally proficient, less accepting of social networking (in its most literal sense) and who are incredibly discrete when it comes to matters of the heart. ...There are plenty of people out there who don’t want to be alone. And we believe, through digital, we can bring them together.
While a number of studies say otherwise when it comes to tech-savvy post 50s, we'll bite. So how does the online dating site work? British sons and daughters can sign up their single parents and create an online profile for them. They can then search the site for people they think would be perfect for their parent and "recommend" standout profiles to their lovelorn 'rents. Automatic emails with their kid's suggestions are sent to the parents, and who knows? A love connection could happen! The start up is still in beta and accepting requests for invitations when it goes live in September.
From what we can tell, this is the first online dating site of its kind, putting the task of selecting a potential date primarily in the hands of your children (the UK has mysinglefriend.com, which lets your friends write your profile for you, though we're sure a few people have done this on existing sites). The sons may get a date for more than just their mom: According to their site there are 1.7 million widowed women and 5.8 million people 45 and older living alone in the UK; in 2010 there were 119,589 divorces in England and Wales. MyLovelyParent may just be the ticket -- there's even talk of bringing it across the pond!
Have your children set you up on a date? Would you trust their judgment when it comes to fixing you up with Mr. or Ms. Right? Tell us in the comments!
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
Where To Meet Singles Over 50
(h/t Good)