What age is the right age to have children?

I went away with my Mum this week to the Lake District (photos coming soon) and all week she was talking about babies. Everytime a child exclaimed 'Nanna!' when walking with their grandparent, or a child walked past with their parents, Mum would pointedly say 'Aawwww, Nanna, that's a child with their Grandma'. 

Now I know, it's a known thing that parents get desperate for Grandchildren as they grow older. But, is it really fair to put pressure on your children to make such an important life decision? Having children isn't something that anyone else should have any say in since it's your life they're ruining (I'm clearly not ready for kids!)

The problem is, my Mum had me at 39, so now she's 65 (I think), but I'm only 27. I'm no where near ready for kids, but she's getting to an age where she feels it's really important to have Grandchildren before she's too old to help with childcare. By rights, I should be able to wait till I'm 39 if I like but I know she'll be really disappointed if I do. 

I know a lot of you would agree that 39 is not a great age to have a child, and I very much doubt I would wait that long (assuming I'd have a choice in the matter). Am I right to want to wait till I'm at least 30 to have children though? Lots of people think your twenties are the right time to have a child. I can see their point too. My parents had children older, and I've already lost my father. Some of my friends' parents are turning 50, or 55, and my mother is much older than their parents. I would have given anything to have my father around for my wedding, or to see his grandchildren, and if I'd had younger parents he probably would have.

However, I know right now is not the time. Clearly I'm not so ruled by my mother that I'm going to get knocked up at the first opportunity. I just wish she'd leave me alone and stop the endless comments. I want to enjoy being in my twenties and early thirties with my boyfriend. I'm not even engaged, let alone married. I have my career to think about and I want to do lots of learning before I have no time. Having children is about committing all your free time to something. I see lots of mothers struggle to cope with a child, job, and more training and I don't want to be in that situation.

How old is the right age to have children?

The all new dating shows

Dating shows have been big for a long time. Blind Date was the biggest programme of the week when I was growing up. I spent my teenager years avoiding revision and watching crap like Date my Mum where potential suitors date three mothers and pick the one who's daughter they think would be sluttiest. I vaguley remember a programme in my pre-teens where a whole crowd of people try to date one single person by answering questions correctly. 

Well, now there is a whole new breed of dating shows, and they're getting more and more obscure. Gone of the days where you were allowed to have a conversation with your potential date, or even see them. So which of the latest dating shows are the most addicitive?

Take Me Out

If anything was going to replace Blind Date, this is it. Take me Out involved a single man coming down a 'love lift' to 30 women eagerly waiting to pull desperately excited smiles, or clearly underwhelmed frowns.  The man then has to impress the women in three rounds involving some sort of freak-show performance and embarrasing stories from a family member. The women turn off for the most minor things, such as a mention of vaguely odourous feet, bad breath first thing in the morning (Come on... who doesn't?), or even being intersted in exercise. I'm not sure if all women are this fickle or they have to be especially recruited.

Once all the women the men actually fancied have opted out of a date, the men get to choose between the dregs who are desperate for a free holiday no matter who they have to spend it with. The men choose the most conventially pretty out of the women left, and they go off ready to spend an awkward weekend in a hot country together and to realise they actually live about 4 hours apart in the UK so the relationship would never work even if they were a great match. 

The good thing about Take me Out is the couples do actually have a chance to have some sort of face-to-face interaction, and there is power for both genders rather than one person simply picking the other. However, relationships are very very unlikely to work out, most men who appear on the show seem to sleep with at least 3 of the girls anyway, according to backstage gossip, and it is distinctly unromantic. It also inevitably ends in 29 single girls at the end of the series with no one to date, a little unfullfilling for them and the audience.

Dating in the Dark

Apparently, this programme sets out to show looks aren't important in dating. Unforunately, it does the opposite. Three single men and three single women have dates in the dark, often involving some snogs and a quick feel. They then decide who they want to see in the light. They can then decide if they would like to meet up again. The uglier one of the two inevitablity wants to meet again, wheras the better looking will walk away without a second glance, and comment of "I can't believe I snogged that!". I can only imagine how humiliating and crushing it must be for the contestants to watch afterwards .

Sing Date

This is a new programme shown on Sky Living. The format is: a member of the public who thinks they have an amazing singing voice and just wants to get on TV for whatever reason possible, usually a little overweight or looking slightly like a drug addict, picks three other members of the public that could be described in a similar way to sing on a webcam with them. They then travel all the way to London to do a duet in the flesh in a pokey studio on some slightly-too-tall stools. As if meeting a man for the first time wasn't akward enough, but worrying about holding a note too is pressure I could easily avoid. Most of the time the invited member of the public doesn't fancy the other person in the slightest and makes it quite clear to them on National television. It actually sounds like a nightmare I once had, and I can't imagine anything worse. Perhaps Sky Living commissioned so many of the episodes in one go because they knew no one would want to be on the show once they'd seen an episode of it.

Dinner Date



This is probably the most plausible of the shows.  One man or woman is asked to decide on three dates based on their menus. They then meet with three potential matches, who seem to be fairly well selected in terms of attractiveness and ability to hold a conversation. The three selected individuals cook dinner in their own homes. It's a bit like Come Dine with Me, but with dating. The combination of cookery and being able to nosey round a person's home keeps the programme entertaining. The 'picker' then decides who to go on a master date  with in a restaurant. It sounds like it should be amazing, but I think the fact that it's pre-filmed and there is little connection with the audience it does become a little dry.

So, the moral is, if you want to create a dating show, you gotta have a gimmick. So what's next? A dating show involving the contents of someone's underwear draw? Date my pet where pets are enlisted to pick a date for their owner? A dating show where you pick your potential partner based on their bowel movements or medical record? Whatever it is, the fact is, I've gotta watch it!

Can you think of any new dating show ideas? 

Facebook official update

Short post today because I'm going out for dinner with my mother (haven't been round for over a week and can't this weekend so I invited her to visit me out of guilt... she said yes). Anyway, for regular followers I have an update on being facebook official.

My boyfriend and I are now facebook official. This is my first facebook official-boyfriend-ness. I am sure you are all aching to congratulate me. He initiated it, out of the blue. I actually feel like we're a bit married now... although he is definitely going to quote this back to me later so I shouldn't have said that.

Is it as big a deal as I'm making out? Probably not, but it does make me feel strange and weirdly open for all to comment on. I do not like being centre of attention electronically. It's much more of a big deal that we're moving in together. But, it does mean other females now know to keep their filthy paws off my man. Not that I don't trust him. And before he initiated it, I didn't give a toss what we had on our statuses, although his 'single' status was starting to bug me slightly. Are you facebook offical?

Anyway I'm off for din-dins.

Snogging in public

I'm not one for public displays of affection. I'll hold my boyfriend's hand in public, and give him a hug, but I don't think we would suck face in a public area. Sorry, that phrase suck face made me want to yack, I didn't mean to inflict it on you guys.

I guess with public displays of affection, it depends what you consider public. I would consider anything other than behind closed doors public, although I would also include public bathrooms if there's someone waiting outside.

This I wouldn't like to see whilst eating my picnic

 I flew to Mexico last year with a friend, but we weren't sitting together. I was sitting in a row of three next to a young couple, probably both about 18 or 19. They seemed to consider next to me on a plane, not public. I could hear them kissing every few minutes, and they insisted in lying across each other rather than just remaining in their own seats, which looked very uncomfortable to me. They also ordered champagne for the flight. It seemed like maybe their first holiday together, and perhaps I should have been a little more forgiving for their obvious affection but I just wanted to bop them on the head with my book and tell them to get a grip. Well, that's what I wanted to do at the beginning of the flight. After about 8 hours, I was genuinely praying for a plane crash. 

If that had been me, sitting next to my boyfriend, I would have been fundamentally aware that there was another person sitting less than 10cm away from us. I already conscious that due to a partition wall in the house I live in, my housemate can hear 99% of everything we say and do in my bedroom. It's not ideal to say the least. 

It tends to mostly be teenagers snogging outdoors. Go to any park on a hot day in summer and you will see at least 3 sets of teenage couples practically humping on the grass somewhere, seemingly unaware that they are in full view of anyone else. It is more understandable for teenagers as they obviously have no where else to go and display their sexual desire for each other (this doesn't apply for those going on holiday together, they can bloody well wait till they get to their hotel room).

These people should know better

In Liverpool last year there was a man and woman at the bus stop my friend and I were waiting at, snogging for about 30 minutes. We went away to find a toilet and came back, and they were still at it. They both looked about 50. This I do not understand. Surely one, if not both of you, have a home you could go to and complete your sexual displays there. If it's an affair, you should be sucking face (sorry, again) on the street in case someone sees you. If you're into dogging, a bus stop probably isn't the best place to partake in such behaviour. I almost tried to strike up a conversation with the woman after the man had gone, just to get the inside scoop, but I refrained.

Anyway, there's not really a lot I can do about public displays of affection, other than refrain from inflicting them on the world myself. If that's what floats your boat, then go ahead, just don't be offended when I start retching, and please don't do it in a confined space near me, or you're liable to get a book thrown at you.

Do single women make the best role models?

I have been watching a lot of Ally Mcbeal lately (I know, I'm so retro). I find her character relate-able, often a little annoying, but sometimes inspiring. Would I find her as interesting if she was in a committed relationship, or do we idolise singletons.

There is definitely a trend in this. Carrie Bradshaw and her friends were exciting because they were single, at least on and off. I read a blog by a writer at Marie Claire for a while, but lost interest when she got a long-term partner. Are we just more interested in the juicy single stories of the minefield that is dating, or is there something better about single women? Do we lose something when we enter into a relationship? The ability to stand alone and make our own decisions perhaps?

 Bridget Jones - being single is important for this character

 Carrie Bradshaw spent most of Sex and the City without a man

Poppy from Mike Leigh's film Happy-Go-Lucky is a strong character who doesn't rely on men

Maybe I am being mislead by the fact that all the exciting storylines revolve around relationships, and I'm confusing entertainment with inspiration. After all, most of the female single characters end up in relationships in the end. There are exceptions, Samantha Jones chooses to stay single, but I don't find her particularly inspiring, especially not when she is horny beyond belief in the Sex and the City movies. Ugh.

Aside from being less available, I don't find my friends less interesting when they're in relationships. At least I don't think so anyway. Although I do have a friend whose boyfriend calls every time we meet up, and she always answers. Is that a sign of being needy or just in love?

Personally I would rather hear about a strong independent woman than a great relationship, but the two things aren't mutual exclusive. I believe, or at least hope, that a woman can be strong and independent whilst being in a committed relationship. It is a difficult thing to balance though. It's easy to use a partner as an emotional crutch, and that's part of the reason they're there. Holding back from this makes a person appear cold and unloving.

I conclude, I want the women I look up to to remain independent and individual no matter what their marital status. This is what is inspiring. 

What do you think?

Waiting, waiting, waiting

I'm waiting for my man..... It's not just you Lou Reed, it's all I seem to do anymore! He is ALWAYS late.

There's nothing like waiting for someone to make you feel more alone. If I was single, or knew I wouldn't see him today, I would have arranged to see a friend or visit my Mum. But waiting is the worst thing on earth. I think I made it worse by being stubborn and ignoring my phone all day. My thinking was that if I don't check my phone every 5 minutes, and just imagine he's not coming at all, it'll be a nice surprise when he does show up. It also means, when he tries to arrange to come round even later than he said he was going to, I have no way of knowing that. Lose-lose for me really. And makes me more angry when he doesn't show up and I end up waiting longer.

It's not his fault, just to be clear, he has family to take care of and he volunteers. That doesn't make me feel much better though. I want to be near my family and friends and drop in on them when he's busy, but I can't because they're an hour away.

If I lived in the same city as all my friends, or somewhere I felt more at home, it wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately I live in Leicester, a place I've only lived for 9 months, and commute out of the city so I don't know either place very well. I just feel a bit lost living here, I don't have any memories anywhere. Perhaps that's my own fault for moving away. I put my career before my own feelings of security and feeling at home. I am glad I did it though, mostly so that my Dad got to see me become a teacher and have a proper career before he passed away. That was important to me.

 

I guess I need to find a way to make Leicester feel more like a home, or to occupy myself. Sharing a house with strangers doesn't help with this as I tend to spend hours in my room rather than roaming around the house, making myself feel more isolated. Perhaps I should set myself projects like going to the park and taking photos, or going for a long walk. It's not the same walking without a dog though. I want one of these...

 Affenpinscher (which is German for Monkey-Hound)

Kind of ugly-cute, like a pug. And doesn't need brushing.

Any tips from people who have successfully moved away from their home city alone? It's been harder than I ever imagined it would be. Not alone does my new home not feel like home, my old one doesn't anymore either.

Online dating: the do's and don'ts

As someone who found their partner on online dating, I thought I would impart my knowledge in the hopes of helping any singletons out there to bag the best man (or woman) on the site. Online dating is very unlike dating in real life, so you have to follow your own rules. Here are the do's and don'ts to get you started.

Do's

• Do upload a picture you like. Remember, this is what most men will use to choose whether to even read your profile, or reply to your message. I used one of myself smiling. I'm not particularly photogenic, plus I pull ridiculous faces in most photographs, so I chose one where I look pretty normal, and approachable. It's the internet equivalent of smiling across a bar at a guy, so pick that kind of smile. Make sure it's one you're comfortable with and feel confident about.

• Do send the first message. If you've read a guy's profile, and think he looks great, it's totally fine to send the first message. By the time you're dating you'll probably have forgotten who messaged who first anyway. He might not have spotted you amongst the crowd, so give him a nudge to get yourself noticed. I think this works better than 'winking' or whatever the equivalent on the website you're on. Make sure to ask questions so he has a reason to reply!

• Do be yourself. Don't try to write formally, but let your personality out. Make the odd little joke, or respond to something they've said as you would in real life. It's better for them to get an idea of your personality before you meet.

• Do let him ask you on the date. This isn't very feminist, and it depends what kind of guy you are after, but I think if he isn't confident enough to ask me on a date and decide where we go, then he probably isn't confident enough to meet my friends, or put up with my tantrums. This should say 'Do ask her on the first date' for any men reading.

• Do check your messages before you send them. I know I'm a bit of a grammar nazi, being an English teacher and all, but I refused to reply to a man who couldn't write correctly. Obviously in real life, I'd have found this out later, but in online dating it's all too obvious. Some blokes even admitted they copy-and-pasted their messages into Word before sending them to me to check they hadn't made any mistakes. I guess they saw "English teacher" and knew I'd be marking it as I read it. Not everyone will be as picky as me about this, but do check through and correct any silly or glaring mistakes.

• Do have fun.  Online dating can become a chore, particularly if you are messaging a lot of people. Try not to let it become something you 'have' to do. Perhaps limit the people you talk to, and don't be afraid to stop messaging someone if they're not your cup of tea. A short message explaining why is polite though if you have been messaging for a few.

Don'ts

• Don't give out your number/ ask for a number too soon. This is the internet equivalent of coming on too strong, or giving in too easily. The other person should work for your number, and you should feel some sort of chemistry before you give it out. Some men send it on the first message, and that just isn't on. Giving your number should be a pre-date thing, and of course, then it's more exciting when you do swap numbers.

• Don't add them on facebook before you've even met up. Facebook contains a huge amount of information, about both you and them. I have been put off guys by seeing their facebook, either because there are too many messages on their wall from girls, or they update their status too often. It's better just to keep it between the two of you before you've actually made contact.

• Don't talk to anyone who lives a million miles away. They may be hot, but you're setting yourself up to fail. The great thing about online dating is you can meet people locally. I would probably meet someone who lives an hour away, maximum. I was messaged by a give who lived in Liverpool, who was cute, but I said to him... what's the point? How often are we really going to meet up, and how could we have a relationship with this distance. I would ignore messages from too far away.

• Don't have other people in your photo. You'd be amazed to see how many people have a photo of themselves with a member of the opposite sex. I mean, really? Do I want to see your exes before I've even seen you? Of course not. Even if it isn't your ex, people will assume that it is. Just don't do it.

• Don't take the photo yourself. You should be in the photo alone, but actually taking the photo yourself in a mirror makes you look like you have no mates. If you can't find anyone to even take a photo of you, how isolated are you? Personally, I would ignore this kind of person.

• Don't take it personally. It's good to be messaging two or three people at once, because often a person will stop messaging halfway through a conversation without giving a reason why. Usually this will be because they met up with somoene they quite like (I did it when I met my fella... after one more date I'd lined up. Luckily for him, it went really badly). It could be because you're just not their type. Don't take it personally, they haven't even met you. It's also very easy to read things in the wrong way, but shit happens. Don't send apologetic emails or try to message them back. Keep your head held high and message someone else instead.

Good luck in the weird world of online dating, and let me know how you get on. It really is hilarious seeing the things some people say! If you've had any weird messages, leave them as a comment.

Are you unofficial until you're facebook official?

There comes a point in every relationship where you have the conversation, do we become facebook official? This is a modern dilemma that couples of the past have never had to muse over. Elizabeth Bennet never had to request Mr Darcy become her facebook friend, or even her modern day equivalent, Bridget Jones, was before the time of this dilemma (I'm sure she would have had lots to say on the matter though). It's such a recent problem, and yet suddenly such a universal one.

I have been given the impression that it is mainly girls who push for the moment of digital-commitment. Becoming facebook official tells all your friends that you have a partner, and who they are. In some ways this is a good thing, to tell ex partners that your boyfriend is now off the market, or to rub in the face of those that turned you down that you aren't sitting around pining for them to change their mind. 

So is it something to worry about if one member of the couple doesn't want to be official? My boyfriend and I aren't facebook official. Of course it crosses my mind that he doesn't want other girls to know about me, in case something better comes along, but he doesn't seem to be hiding me away from the people he knows. The reason we aren't a facebook couple is, in my opinon, because we both value our privacy. I don't want people to know every detail of my life. I don't broadcast about what I'm having for dinner, or when I'm taking a bath, so why would I broadcast about my love life? The people who are important to me know what's happening in my life, and I'd like to be the one to tell them. I imagine some people go for coffee with a friend and start telling them what they've been doing recently, and where they've been, and the friend responds with "I know, I saw it on facebook." God knows I know plenty about people I haven't seen in years thanks to their constant and personal updates.

In conclusion, being facebook official or not isn't really a big enough deal to worry about. As long as your partner isn't using social networks to recruit new shag buddies, there isn't really a reason to worry about it. And if they are, they're probably doing it in real life too. If you boyfriend is refusing to become facebook official, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it's all good in real life, it shouldn't be a problem.

Now if they refuse to add you on facebook, but then add your friends... that's a different matter. Then you are entitled to make yourself heard!

Should you dress your man?

Since being in a proper, grown-up relationship for the last 9 months, I have been confronted with a whole list of things I never thought I would end up doing. Firstly, I didn't envisage agreeing to spend a Saturday taking his niece and nephew to the farm. I didn't expect to be thinking about moving in together. I definitely didn't imagine I'd be picking out clothes for him, when he's not even with me! I have ended up doing all these things.

I feel like I need to explain myself, before you label me as a pushy girlfriend, or mother figure. My boyfriend doesn't have bad taste in clothes. In fact, apart from his beige chords (UGH!), he dresses pretty nice. However, he doesn't have a whole lot of choice in his wardrobe, and there are things he would look good in that he doesn't own.

Obviously, if he wanted to, I would leave him to his own clothes choices and let him shop of him own free will. However, he hates clothes shopping with a passion. His way of gaining a new wardrobe is to wait till Christmas comes around (and thus his birthday too, which is on Christmas Eve) and let his aunts and other family members pick out items for him. Not only is this lazy, it means he ends up wearing whatever their idea of 'young person's fashion' is. 

I tackled this a few months ago by nipping into H&M and grabbing him a shirt, a top, a tshirt, a pair of jeans, and then popping into Gap for some chinos. He liked everything except the top, and wears them regularly. Having succeeded in this, I have ventured to keep my eye out for clothes that would look good on him if I'm out shopping. I do partly feel like a mother-figure, and there is something a bit pushy-wife about it, but it seems to suit him and I get a real happiness when he choose to wear the stuff I got. Thankfully I know he wouldn't wear something if he didn't like it, so I don't worry that I'm forcing fashion onto him.

That said, there is always a temptation to buy things I'm not sure he'll be on board with in the hopes of educating him. He always takes the mic out of my Office brogues, which I adore for work or with a pair of jeans or a skirt and socks. I'd love to get him a similar pair as I love brogues on men. I know he wouldn't like them, so I've held back on this. I guess I can't force him to like what I like, but I do think I'm right... brouges are hot. 

 

A picture of the brogues I have (and love).. available here

So am I an overbearing girlfriend or a perfect one? Let me know whether you buy your fella clothes, or whether I should back off and leave the boy in fashion purgatory in peace.

When is it time to move in?

So recently, my boyfriend has been hinting about the idea of moving in together in September. About 3 days ago, we finally talked seriously about it. Well, he thought we talked seriously about it, whereas I'm not sure a five minute conversation counts as a life plan. 


I spend a lot of time with him, and we get on really well, but it got me thinking about when you know the time is right to shack up together. Moving in together is a big deal and puts the message across that you think that you will be together for a long time, if not forever. It's one step down from actual marriage. After 10 months of dating, are we thinking about this too soon?

 I know a couple who met online a week after I met my boyfriend. A month ago they bought a house together. BOUGHT a house together. How can I couple be so sure so early on? Does that make my relationship less secure because I don't feel ready to invest in a property with my significant other? 

I don't want to question other relationships, but I personally think it's better for a relationship to move slowly and for both people involved to seriously think through their decisions. Perhaps that makes me conservative, or unromantic, but if I'm thinking of spending my whole life with someone, I don't see the point in rushing towards the exciting things that are in our future. Saying that, I have agreed to move in with him. Mostly because I don't think we will be completely in each other's pockets: he still needs to spend a lot of time at home and I visit my Mum regularly. I also think we're both easy going and willing to compromise. I love spending time with him, and miss him when I don't see him for a day. I think these are all good reasons to move in with someone.

Now that we've decided, I have been looking at gorgeous vintage furniture on ebay, gumtree and preloved. It's fairly easy to get furniture cheaply, and I plan to paint some white for that shabby-chic look. I'm so excited to get a place and be able to furnish it with my own individual style. Unless we get a furnished property to cut down on costs, but these seem to be in limited supply.

In conclusion, I guess you just know when the time is right. It's different for each individual. I still maintain that it's important to think things through and do things for the right reasons. I'm so excited to start a new adventure, but there are aspects I'm nervous of too, particularly the prospect of getting bored of each other and falling into a rut. I think that must be the next challenge, finding ways to appreciate each other in new ways when we seen each other every day. I'll keep you posted on that one.

If anyone has any tips on how to get  great furniture, or rental advice, feel free to get in touch.

I want my home to look like this!

 

Internet dating: cop off, or cop out?

It's no secret amongst my friends that I met my boyfriend through internet dating. I don't want to show a preference, but I happened to use Plenty of Fish to meet the man. However, is internet dating a necessary way to meet the man of your dreams, or just a coward's way out? 

 The match.com advert that is currently on tv is one that definitely draws you in to a cute meet-up story. A man is busking on a train platform, and starts singing about a girl waiting for a train on the platform opposite. She then goes over to meet him. It's interesting how a website for meeting a partner online has used a cute meet-up story using a real-life meeting to advertise itself. The tag line is 'start your love story'. The sad thing about internet dating is you lose out on those real-life romantic stories. When someone asks you at a dinner party, "How did you guys meet?", the romantic story is instead replaced with the phrase"We met online". 

Spoof version of the Match.com advert

Not only this, but you also lose out on those incidental meetings. I have had office romances, or at least flirtations, and nothing beats the excitement of wondering if you will into your crush during the day, and the stomach flip when you do. Online dating is so organised that there isn't the opportunity for this. Ok, you could get a little stomach flip when they send you a message, but in my experience, it just isn't the same as putting on your best outfit just in case you run into them in a corridor.

On the other hand, internet dating worked for me, and it is the relationship result that is the most important part. If you have had the same job for a number of years, see the same group of friends and don't like the idea of making eyes at people in bars, internet dating is sometimes the only option. My boyfriend is a social worker for children, and the chances that I would have run into him are miniscule, yet we met through the internet and he's a great fit for me. Of course, there was some perseverance on my part; he did talk about pimping me out to his virgin friends on the first date, thankfully I put this down to nerves and a little too much to drink, and I was right to (believe me, his friends are still virgins). It is important to not be too quick to write a guy off when having those initial meet ups, but a balance with not wanting to waste your time either.

Ultimately I think internet dating is a great option for a lot of people. It does spoil the romance somewhat, and there is still some stigma attached: I won't be telling my mother how we met just yet. The idea of having to go online to meet someone screams desperation to some people, but it really isn't about being desperate, it's about seeing what's out there. Of course, there are going to be some bad dates *cough* Italian Physicist *cough*, but as long as you take that as part of the journey and can laugh about it with friends, you should be ok. I do find the online dating world is far less brutal than the one in real life.

Anyone who has tried internet dating, I would love to hear any of your internet dating stories. Leave me a comment and share the humor.