First of all, warning: this blog is for women. If you're a man and reading this, you may get some value and some chuckles, but the rules and ideas are really different for men. Maybe I'll write that one next.

Now, ladies, if your flirt game is rusty, good news: you don’t need cheesy lines — just a genuine smile, a little body language, and this expert's opinion (LOL).

Oh, and some "not-that-cheesy" lines.

As a relationship expert, I have been studying dating over 50 for the last 20 years, and I have made an important discovery.

The good news is that the biggest mistakes women make in dating can be avoided. 

One moment you're excited about a potential partner, and the next, you’re wondering if you just wasted a lot of time. Welcome to the dating game! What a ride.

The 3rd date is a significant milestone, it assumes you are really interested in each other and attracted– but you need to know some very important things in order to take it further.

A couple of weeks ago we discussed the most common 1st date mistakes, if you missed it, here’s the link.

This week, I want to warn you about the 2nd date pitfalls!

First, let me just remind you, there will be no first date unless you have had a good time getting to know the person over text, phone call, or video chat, and feel that they meet your 3H criteria.

Good news, everyone is making the same mistakes and they are fixable.

To save you boredom, frustration and heartache, don’t make these FIRST DATE mistakes:

The biggest mistake women make in midlife dating is staying for a long time with the wrong person. If you’re lonely, you are susceptible to picking badly, and then staying put, hoping it will turn into a successful relationship if you’re patient or work hard enough to fix him.

One of the biggest obstacles I see stopping women in midlife from finding a meaningful romantic relationship is a deeply rooted belief that they are somehow “not enough” to deserve it. That they're too old, too damaged, too late, too this or that.

Some men are narcissists.

Some men are full of themselves.

Most men are neither.

Bad dates are the worst. We've all been on crappy dates and been wondering the whole time, when will this be over? I want to save you from ever going on a bad date again with some top tips for the first three, which are the most important!

Almost every day I hear about the overwhelm and exhaustion women feel when engaged in online dating.

Have you ever just wished you knew all the tricks to make it easier?

So many of my clients come to me upset and frustrated, because for sure they thought a gentleman was "into them"--only to find out he wasn't serious at all. How soon can you tell if a man likes you, if you can tell at all? Here I will inform you about some key early dating signs that a man is interested in you.

You may think it seems shallow to care about being attractive. But it is the most important element that determines whether or not you will find a love match.

The biggest mistake women make, which prevents them from finding the right person for them, is staying too long with the wrong person.

Did you know? You are teaching someone how to treat you from the very first interaction. If you are wondering why someone treats you a particular way, think back to the behaviors you ignored or didn’t speak up about at the beginning.

Are you so resigned about dating that you’re asking yourself if it’s even worth it?

I get it. A lot of women who come to me are exhausted by past relationships, overwhelmed by careers, families, and the true time suck of swiping left and right on online dating sites.

The myth that older men only want to date younger women is understandably upsetting to older women.

But, just because you’ve heard it a hundred times (or have seen it play out on social media and in bad rom-coms) doesn’t mean it’s a universal truth. 

At our age we’ve come to understand we don’t NEED a partner.

You’ve spent plenty of time without one and you are okay.

If you feel unsafe dating, that’s fair. The online dating world is filled with wonderful potential partners, but it also has its fair share of red flags. Scammers, fraudsters, and people with bad intentions do exist, but that doesn’t mean you should live in fear. Healthy relationships start with smart choices, and that includes making sure your first date and beyond are safe experiences.