Anyone who’s ventured into the world of online dating is sure to have countless stories of mismatches, mishaps, misconceptions and misunderstandings. But online misadventures don’t just happen to young singles; research shows those aged over 60 are in fact the fastest-growing demographic using dating websites and apps to find a mate.
Dawn LaPuma was just one of those ‘over 60s’ who dipped her toe in the waters of online dating and it didn’t take long for her to start keeping a journal of the various characters she encountered. There was Foot Fetish Man, Covid Man, loads of time-wasters, and a man who wanted a relationship but without any commitment (due to the fact that he was already married).
Before long Dawn had enough stories to fill a book, literally – so that’s exactly what she did… she wrote a book.
Sixty, Single and Still Sizzling… the Search for Mr Right is the book’s catchy title and Dawn says its content is primarily drawn from notes she took while dating.
“Some of the things that happened made me think ‘Oh man, does this ever happen to anyone else?’ Some things were just ridiculous, some were horrifying and there was so much cringe value that I just had to write it down,” Dawn explains.
“I also wanted to share some of the stories told to me by my female friends who’d tried both online dating and formal dating agencies. There were also some great stories from men about what had happened to them. I felt there were things that other men needed to hear and things that women should know.”
Dawn’s book not only looks at the funny side of online dating, and dating in general, but also the serious side of mature age sexuality. Dawn speaks openly about sex and the things that happened during sexual intercourse. She says that if you’re at all prudish then maybe her book isn’t for you.
Dawn also says that she tried different free online dating sites as well as payment-based subscription sites in the hope the latter might produce a better quality of man. But Dawn says it didn’t.
“When you’re desperately lonely and want to find someone, you tend to overlook obvious alarm bells and that often leads you to getting yourself in a bad situation. And, as the old saying goes, ‘If it looks too good to be true it probably isn’t’. You’ve got to be realistic – if a 48-year-old hunk that’s a millionaire with a yacht is talking to you and saying he’ll move across the world to be with you – you know that’s not true. And yet there’s part of you that so much wants it to be true.
“Dating when you’re older can be daunting; you’ll be challenged in lots of ways. The most important thing to take along with you is a sense of humour.”
After three years of online dating Dawn decided enough was enough and withdrew from dating for several months. Then out of the blue a “hello” message popped into her inbox. She’d seen the male sender’s photo before but had previously decided not to pursue it as he lived in another part of WA.
“I decided to reply and we then talked on the phone regularly for more than a month.”
Romance blossomed without effort and Dawn and her Mr Right (now both in their early 70s) have now been together for more than two years. They’ve travelled together and recently bought a house and a business together.
Dawn certainly hopes other older singles are as lucky as she has ended up being, because as we all know the best ending is a happy one.
Copies of Dawn’s book are available online from all good book-selling websites.
