Why is dating better once you've turned thirty?

10.  You don’t have to worry about sneaking home at night and waking your parents.

One of the best things about dating when you’re in your thirties is that you are responsible for yourself.  You can stay up late, invite him to your house for a nightcap, or stay over at his house without guilt.  It’s your decision, because it’s your life.

9.  You can afford nicer restaurants than McDonald’s.

I still remember my first date.  We shared a strawberry milkshake at McDonald’s, and I was so starry-eyed with infatuation that anything would have tasted like ambrosia.  Fortunately, my dinner dates these days are much healthier and better suited to romance.

8.  You’re into something more than getting trashed on weekends.

By the time most of us reach our thirties, the novelty of getting drunk every weekend has usually worn off.  Curling up next to one another on the sofa and watching a movie can feel just as pleasurable as clubbing until dawn.

7.  You know a bit more about life and love.

One of the scariest things about dating when you’re a teenager is starting out from a state of ignorance.  We’re not born knowing how it all works.  As exciting as it feels to kiss a boy for the first time, that heady hormonal rush is tempered by anxiety.  Very few people get through their early dating years without feeling paralyzed by a horrible fear of messing up.  That’s why it’s so nice to have enough experience to be realistic about the whole process: dating can be disappointing, exciting, embarrassing, and exhilarating – sometimes all at the same time!

6.  You no longer put up with the bullshit.

By the time you reach your thirties, you’ve gained a little wisdom when it comes to relationships.  You can call a spade a spade.  You value yourself enough to say “no” to a bad situation.

5.  You can play the “Mrs. Robinson” card.

If it’s good enough for Demi Moore, it’s good enough for us!  There’s nothing more fun than being the naughty “older” woman.  You may even find that a lot of younger men are dreaming of a Mrs. Robinson to initiate them into the ways of love.

4.  Your relationship has a greater chance of lasting.

Compared with couples who marry as teenagers or in their early twenties, your relationship will stand a greater chance of lasting if you wait to marry until AT LEAST your mid-twenties.  This makes sense intuitively as well as statistically.  When you marry at an older age, you know yourself better.  You know what you can live with.  You are both more financially stable.  You’ve had enough dating experience to build some relationship skills.

3.  The sex is better.

Whereas the male sex drive peaks in his late teens, the female sex drive is only revving up.  Women hit their stride in their thirties, a period that often coincides with a greater body acceptance and a more relaxed attitude towards what happens in bed.

2.  You can see what you’re getting with him.

When you’re dating in your teens and twenties, the energy and ambition of youth makes it difficult to clearly see who your partner will actually turn out to be.  The young man who goes to Stanford for a business degree may drop out to flip burgers and play in a band.  The local jock may become the paunchy middle manager whose idea of flexing his arm muscles is lifting a beer glass.  Luckily, by the time a man reaches his thirties, his lifestyle choices will give you a good indication of where he sees himself going in life.

1.  You’ve got more going on in your life than him.

Yes, for me the best part about being 30+ is that life is so much fuller, richer, and more satisfying than ever before.  Whether you have a relationship or not, you’ve created a life that you can be proud of.  You no longer depend on a man for your sense of self-worth.  Dating is part of your life but not everything.  As a result, relationships become something wonderful to be valued when you have them, but not despaired over when you don’t.