My dad is very lonely

[ellielop]

How can I help my dad finding a girlfriend? He is divorced for 4 years now and since then he is alone. He is a great guy and I am sure some nice lady will be very happy with him

[EveMangle]

Speed dates are always a good idea but probably not during the lockdown. He doesn't have to waste his time on Tinder or similar, cause its mostly for young people, try to sign him up on the seniors dating site  I think he has a bigger chance to find someone mature out there. Good luck and please let us know how it goes for him!

[pocketvenus]

@ellielop I think advice depends on so many factors. If he's lonely and wants to start looking it would help to assess what he is comfortable with, what he likes to do, and what kind of relationship he is looking for. Some people are more forward and others more reserved. Some people are comfortable meeting new people in a crowd in an organic manner while others prefer something more intentional or are amenable to a little match making. Some people are looking for something very heteronormative while others prefer something different. The answers will determine where and how he should try looking.

The benefit to meeting people more organically, say in a bar, activity group, or crowd, is that it's easier to tell who you click with and you can do it in a lower stakes setting. But you have to be the kind of person comfortable approaching and talking to strangers and have the ability to be positive, courteous and respectful of boundaries when rejected, especially as men are still expected to take the initiative in approaching and being rejected. Online searching is definitely more convenient and rejection has less of a sting when it's not face to face. Having said that, it's more work up front and you can invest all this effort only to find out when you meet in person there's zero chemistry. Also, I think it's really tempting to screen out people online using details that wouldn't matter if you clicked in person and experienced a natural attraction.

Good luck to your dad 🙂

[FullCoverageBB]

@ellielop - Has your dad ever tried one of those dating apps?