Get Help When You Start Over Dating

Steve and I are both on our second chance in the marriage world. Both of us had married young, and we had both been divorced in a situation that was intensely unpleasant for each of us. He had married at 21, and had been married for 22 years.  I had married at 17, and was married for nearly 10 years. We actually met each other through Great Expectations, and might not have ever crossed paths at all had it not been for this terrific organization. We met at the end of 1989, married in 1990, and are still married today. The photo above was taken in 1998. I discovered recently that Steve was carrying it around in his wallet so I knew he liked it.

Steve tells everyone about Great Expectations to this day. For three years he went to the office and read profiles, went to events where he could meet people, and sent cards to women that he thought would be interesting to meet. His son thought it was very amusing when three women named Susan would all call him on the same day, but for him it was a learning experience because he had not been dating since he was in his 20's, and there he was in his mid-40's starting over.

At the time that I signed up with Great Expectations I had been divorced for the second time from a man that I had met at work. It was a very short marriage because it was obvious it was a mistake almost immediately. It turned out that having work in common was not beneficial as it had at first seemed like it would be. By then I knew that I needed to meet people that were complimentary to me rather than similar to me. I needed to get away from my work environment and the places that I was familiar with, and meet entirely different people. But, on the other hand, I didn't want to hang out at the local "meeting" places. I wanted something more substantial. Great Expectations met my need.

One great benefit is that you can meet a lot of people in a dating service. Far more than you can meet on your own. It is not out of the question to date dozens of men or women while you learn what type of person you really want to spend your life with. Of course, if your goal is to learn what you want and meet a lot of people you need to be completely ethical and keep intimate behavior out of the picture until you're ready for a commitment. The use of a dating service is never a license to abuse people.

Did you know one-third of members of online dating sites are married? Obviously, your goal is to meet quality single people, not frauds. You've seen the stories on television about 40+ year old men trolling the teen sites for young girls and boys. There are predatory people on some of the online dating sites too, misrepresenting themselves so that they can get a person alone for a meeting. We know from personal experience that Great Expectations meets every person individually when they are signed up. They collect a fee that represents a serious commitment as well. It is not an organization that collects a large fee from men and a small fee from attractive women just to beef up the female-to-male ratio. We found them to be an honest organization that treated us with respect and dignity at a time when we were vulnerable.

Now Great Expectations itself does not give dating advice, but they do have quite a number of clients that are in the same kind of situation that both Steve and I were. As teenagers we stuck ourselves out there and got our hearts stomped on and then dusted ourselves off and in the grand scheme it was no big deal. As adults we have jobs and often children and responsibilities to handle as well. Even worse, because we won't have known the people we meet through most online dating organizations, we can't just show up alone at a meeting place with a stranger if we value our lives and health. Most dating services don't even check marital status much less any kind of a background check. All they know is that your credit card worked when you paid your fee.

Great Expectations members are pre-screened and qualified, so you can enjoy a safe and enjoyable dating experience. I know that there are other dating services out there, and that there are people who believe in them as well. We have a page devoted to dating links so that you can read about other dating services as well and make up your own mind. Our own experience from 17 years ago was that we needed that extra help and encouragement that only the face-to-face video and meetings an organization like Great Expectations could give us. While we are not on our way out looking for a new mate, we definitely do tell others that this is the best way to go. Great Expectations is the premier service. You get what you pay for, and it is worth every penny. How much is a great relationship worth?