All the invitees at the ball, which Cinderella’s prince threw to find a wife for himself, were young people.
And the fairy chose to deck Cinderella up and send her for the party only because she was a young girl.
The fairy would never have considered her if she was past forty, even if she was pretty and single.
Dating for boomers was not a notion that existed then, even in fairy tales, however, detached from reality they were.
In an era, where the marriage was inextricably connected with reproduction, dating for boomers could not exist even as a concept.
A parody of dating for boomers perhaps existed when middle-aged or elderly widowers married young girls.
But realities often outwit myth and symbolism. Today, the baby boomer generation, which has entered its sixties, is not reconciled to singlehood, whatever the reasons that made them single at that age.
They are in the market seeking partners. Needless to say, the plus forty generations, which has been brought up on more liberal values, are also flooding avenues that cater to the needs of dating for boomers.
The forty-plus generation is both physically and mentally young. They are more stabilized in their careers and entrenched in their values than the youngsters trying to get into relationships. This makes dating for boomers an important aspect of today’s social life.
Having common interests, or the ability to give space to the other’s interests is important in dating for boomers.
Unlike youngsters, these people know that it is useless to try to change the innate tendencies of a partner.
So, while analyzing a dating partner, they try to see how much space they will be able to make for the other’s likes and quirks.
Online dating sites, which help in dating for boomers, have mushroomed in the cyber world.
There are books and CDs that guide them in rediscovering themselves and online help is available round the clock for those who have misgivings about starting their life all over again.
Nothing works better for them than these vibrant websites, where the middle-aged and elderly can meet each other.
At their stage, they have no classmates to choose from, as in the case of youngsters. Single colleagues of that age group, again, could be sparse.
The first-round elimination, based on education or social background is easy at the websites, as concise resumes of all are provided.
In conventional dating, for boomers, a few meetings and fifty questions might be necessary to ferret out that much information.
But there could also be traps in the online dating for boomers. No one knows how real a person seen in the cyber world is.
Middle-aged men and women, who are successful in life, are in high demand. So, there could be profiles exaggerated to catch their attention.
One loses nothing by the first few emails. After that, a reality check should be done before proceeding further.
Most of the middle-aged are obviously not dating for the first time. They have learned from their experiences and mistakes.
They know, better than the younger generation, what to look for in a potential mate and what they will be able to give in return.
With self-realization so high, dating, for boomers, is a rich experience to which each can contribute richly.
