By Gloria MacDonald

Women over forty are still looking for Prince Charming! Women still want to be swept off their feet. They frequently say they just want a man to take them on a real date. What on earth is this elusive real date? What are women looking for?

There are seven things that a man needs to do to pass the test. If he doesn’t successfully complete any of these criteria he’s committed a dating sin.

Now here’s the problem, men have a very different take on this whole dating thing. If a man is meeting a woman one-on-one for the first time, whether it’s through internet dating, speed dating, a dating service, or a set-up through friends, this is usually NOT a date in his mind. To the man, it is a meeting. He doesn’t know you. He’s meeting you to see if he’s interested in asking you out on a date. Since this isn’t a date, he’s not in “date mode.” He’s not thinking about all of those romantic, chivalrous gestures, and he may not even be thinking about picking up the tab. This does NOT mean that this man has no manners and should be written off as having no potential. It’s very possible he’s entirely different when he’s in “date mode”.

Sin #1: The sin of being cheap.

If a man doesn’t pay for the coffee, drinks, or meal, he’s cheap. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN.

If you haven’t yet convinced the man he’s interested in you, he’s still at a meeting and he’s not thinking romance. Chances are higher the more online dating a man has done, the less likely he is to offer to pay for that first coffee or drink. Men tend to be practical and analytical. They’re totally unaware of our fairly tale dream of the ideal date, and the seven deadly dating sins. In his mind, if he’s not asking you out on a date why would he be paying for your drink?

The protocol for who pays for what is different today…

Gloria MacDonald is a Matchmaker
and the founder and CEO of Perfect Partners®,
Le Personal Relationship Executive Search Firm,
a dating service for 40+ professionals.

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