First-Date Do’s and Don’ts
Follow these crucial rules if you want a second meet-up
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Do wear the right clothes
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Don’t bling out
Your date is probably not a felon, a rapist or a raving loon. On the other hand, do you really want to find that out the hard way? Giving a stranger access to your home is too intimate a way to begin — or end — a first date. Wait for the right time for a home visit.
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Franck Camhi/Istock
Do arrive on time
The problem with getting up on a soapbox and holding forth about loaded topics is that doing so could explode in your face. A conversation about movies, books, vacations or just about any other topic is a better idea because it makes you more likable.
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Don’t commit cellphone suicide
Your adult children, best friend, next-door neighbor and piano tuner may not be the best “experts” to consult with about who or what is right for you. So don’t seek their opinions. Instead, trust your brain and your gut to tell you whether a first date merits a second.
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Don’t meet at either party’s home
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Getty Images
Do stifle the cat pix
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Rayman/Getty Images
Don’t meet at awkward places
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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White Packert/Getty Images
Don’t order wearable foods
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Istock
Do keep your politics and religion to yourself
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Istock
Do listen attentively
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Istock
Don’t reveal too much too soon
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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Hero Images/Getty Images
Do keep food issues off the table
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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LaCoppola-Meier/Getty Images
Do tune out social static
If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
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If an article of clothing seems more suitable for your grandchildren than for you, leave it home. This includes anything you would wear to a club or a church, anything that could double for trick-or-treating, anything casual enough for painting the shutters and anything skimpy enough to make your date shudder.
