Dating Tips Through Experience:
When Your Date Lies About Details

Hello fellow online daters. August has become a busy dating month for me and I hope for all of you as well. With that being said, let's get started on this column's experience and tips.

This date occurred late last year, when I met a young gentleman on a wonderful dating site <Romantic Planet> and introduced myself to him via email. We exchanged a couple emails and he eventually asked for my number. We soon began talking on the phone here and there.

Now this gentleman told me he was 23 and going into the Navy. Normally 23 is out of my dating range but he seemed very genuine and sweet, so I thought why not? Nothing serious has to happen since he's going into the Navy and all.

After weeks of talking, we decided to meet. Now I have nothing at all wrong with someone who lives with their parents; to each their own. Everyone has their own situation. However, a red flag went up when he invited me to his parents house because they were going away. I invited him to the movies with my roommates and I instead to give us a bit of an icebreaker. But he supposedly couldn't make it, so I went to meet him later that night.

Tip: Meeting someone for the first time offline can be a little nerve racking because you don't really know that person since you've never been around them. Me going to meet that guy at his house was not one of the wiser things I've done, but me thinking I am invincible sometimes takes over my sense of saneness.

You should never meet someone at their house or in a private place for the first and probably not the second time either. In fact, a suggestion for a first meeting to keep it light and casual and safe is meeting for coffee in a crowded coffee shop or at a bookstore, such as Barnes and Nobles or Borders, they have a wonderful Starbucks café and by having books all around you, it leaves the conversation topics endless.

If you decide to meet them for dinner, drive in separate cars, meet at a decent time such as 6 or 7pm, and meet in a crowded public place. After dinner if you are going to go somewhere else such as a movie or comedy club, take your own vehicle, if a man or woman can't comprehend your reasons for doing this and get upset then they probably aren't worth a second date. Your safety should come first, always.

When he opened the door I felt a bit shocked because this man looked way younger than 23. However, with an open mind we proceeded to the living room where he offered me a drink but I politely refused. Due to the recent trends of date rape drugs, one can never be too careful. So we began chatting well into the night.

Now, after a great conversation this man decides he needs to confess a little lie to me. In my head, the thoughts began swirling because with my luck there's no telling what this man is about to tell me. He tells me he's only 18 and has no intentions of going into the Navy! 18!!! Now if 23 was a little out of my range, 18 was beyond belief. I sat there in complete astonishment not knowing quite how to react. This man was 10 years younger than me. What was I supposed to think?

So, I politely gathered my things and jetted to the nearest exit telling him it was late and I needed to get going, while thanking him for a nice conversation.

Tip: When you begin talking to people on the net, look for signs of immaturity or maturity, although this guy didn't show any, most will. Don't be scared to ask them for their complete date of birth, and if you are meeting them in person and they look really young, don't hesitate to ask for identification, i.e., a driver's license, if you feel uncomfortable. There are a lot of 16 and 17 year olds sneaking on dating sites these days and there's honestly no way for the dating sites to stop it, so if you don't look good in the county blues or state orange jumpsuits or behind bars make sure you check their age out to whatever extent you feel necessary.

As always, online daters, it's been a pleasure sharing my experiences with you and giving you tips I hope you'll find valuable in the near future. Good luck in love.

Your Online Dating Through Experience columnist is a 29 year old female from the East Coast.

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