Even though we have clients of all ages, Susan Dunhoff, Professional Matchmaker and Relationship Expert was interviewed by the Tribune Review on her tips for dating after 50.
Laura Cohen dated into her 50s and survived to talk about it.
The Monroeville attorney, who married for the second time in October, spent 24 years as a singleton after her first marriage broke up.
“I think you look at things in a different perspective,” says Cohen, 54, owner of the Family Legal Center in Monroeville. “At least for me in my 50s, I’m pretty well established with a business and a retirement account and grown kids. It’s just a lot different when you’re younger. I think your focus shifts, that maybe now it’s time for me.”
Cohen took a take-it-or-leave it approach to dating. Her goal wasn’t necessarily marriage so much as male companionship, she says. Some dates were “one and done,” while she dated other men for months. Her husband turned out to be a guy she’d been friends with for at least five years.
“Having someone there all the time isn’t a necessity,” Cohen says. “(But) I’ve come to learn that’s a very nice thing to have. I never felt desperate, like I needed to have someone.”
Cohen knows that other divorced people around her age aren’t so fortunate when it comes to venturing back out into the singles market. Her community-based law firm deals with divorces, custody matters and other family issues.
“Some of our clients in that age category, it’s really difficult for them,” she says. “They’re used to having the spouse there. I think a lot of people in that age category feel kind of lost. I’ve been doing this for 16 years. In the last few years, I’ve seen many more divorces in that age category.”…
