Glamorous grandmothers
Grandma dating, for grandmothers who still love a date night.
Grandchildren on Tuesday, dinner with someone new on Friday. How grandmothers juggle family and romance, when to tell the kids, why ‘grandma’ can be a compliment, and who is hoping to meet you.
♥ Free sign-up · Free ID check · Adults 18+
Grandma dating means dating as a grandmother, or dating one. It suits grandmothers who still love being flirted with, and the men and women drawn to their warmth and self-assurance. On Dating Granny (datinggranny.com), older women are the whole point: joining is free, and searches can be as wide as a country or as close as your own town.
Americans tend to say grandma; in Britain the same thing goes by the name granny dating, which is where this site gets its name. Whichever word you use, the idea holds: being a grandmother is one part of your life, not the whole of it, and certainly not a reason to stop dating. Glamorous grandmothers have always existed. Now they have somewhere to meet people who agree.
Can a grandmother still have a love life?
Of course, and plenty do. Grandchildren often arrive at the very point when your own children have grown up, work may be winding down and the evenings are yours again. A lot of women find they know far better what they want from a partner than they did at thirty, and have far less patience for anything that wastes their time.
Grandmothers dating again is not a phase or a novelty. It is what happens when a woman decides the next twenty years deserve some romance in them, whether that means a flirt, a regular dinner companion or a relationship with someone who makes her laugh until her mascara runs.
Grandmother on paper. Glamorous in person.
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Why ‘grandma’ can be a compliment
The word comes with a cosy picture — baking, knitting, a sensible cardigan — and that picture is decades out of date. Today’s grandmother might run a business, train for a half marathon or spend the winter somewhere with a beach. Said by the right person, ‘grandma’ can be admiring, the way people call an older man a silver fox: shorthand for someone who has lived a little and wears it beautifully.
On the site, use the word only if you like it. Some women write ‘proud grandmother of four’ in the first line of their profile; others keep the grandchildren to themselves until the third date. Both are fine. And a note for admirers: let her decide whether she is a grandma, a granny or simply herself before you call her either.
How do you balance grandchildren and a love life?
With a little planning and no guilt at all. Family days are usually fixed points, so build dates around them instead of apologising for them. A man worth seeing will understand that Wednesday is the day you collect the little ones from school.
| When this happens | Try this |
|---|---|
| A regular childcare day | Keep that day off-limits and offer the evenings either side |
| The grandchildren stay over | Move the date to lunch the next day, or flirt by message once they are asleep |
| Family birthdays and celebrations | Put them in the calendar early and say so; nobody sensible minds |
| A last-minute call for help | Explain, rearrange within the week, and propose the new time yourself |
| School breaks | Plan your dates for the quieter weeks either side |
| You would like a weekend away | Wait until things are steady, then arrange family cover well ahead |
When should you tell the family you’re dating?
There is no need to make an announcement the day you sign up. Many women prefer to wait until someone has become a regular part of their week, which is entirely sensible. Your profile shows a username you pick and your nearest town or city — never your real name, your email address or where you live — so you can take your time.
When you do tell them, keep it light and confident. Grown-up children react in all sorts of ways: some are delighted, some protective, a few startled to learn their mother has a social life at all. Give them time, introduce a partner over something relaxed such as a family lunch, and remember that your love life is yours to run. The grandchildren can meet him once he is clearly staying around.
If the person you are seeing is a good deal younger, expect a raised eyebrow or two at the table. Answer questions plainly and without justifying yourself. Seeing you happy usually does more to win a family round than any explanation.
Who wants to date a grandma?
More people than you might expect. Some men have always preferred older women, and a grandmother’s self-assurance is a big part of the appeal. Others are men her own age who want a partner at the same stage of life, with the same freedom. Dating Granny welcomes women looking for women, too. What they tend to share is an attraction to someone who knows exactly who she is.
If you are the admirer, a few habits go a long way:
- Respect the family calendarHer fixed days are not a test of how much she likes you. Work around them cheerfully.
- Never compete with the grandchildrenAsking after them wins you points; sulking about them loses you the woman.
- Be patient about introductionsYou meet her family when she says so, not when you decide it is time.
- Keep the romance goingDating a grandma still means flowers, plans and flirting. She has not retired from any of it.
What to look for in grandma dating sites
Look for a site that treats older women as the headline act rather than a filter, where joining costs nothing so you can look around before deciding anything, and where privacy is part of the design. On Dating Granny the ID check is free and earns you a blue tick, you chat under a username, and blocking someone stops them contacting you or even seeing your profile. There is nothing to install: it works in a web browser on phones, tablets and computers alike, and saving it to your home screen gives you a one-tap shortcut, much like an app.
Be honest with yourself about distance, too. Searches can cover every country on the site or zoom in on a single region or town, which shows you quickly who is nearby and who would mean a longer trip. Nobody needs a crowd on their doorstep. One person worth writing to is plenty to begin with.
Straight answers