Kiss on a first date? It’s OK for over-50s

FORGET everything you were taught by your mother: it is OK to kiss on a first date.

And don’t worry – that daring piece of advice comes with the stamp of approval of Debrett’s, the experts in manners and etiquette.

“Modern romance often involves a briefer ‘courting’ period,” it says in a new guide to online dating.

Research by Ourtime, the online dating site for people over 50, found that almost a third feel out of touch with the modern rules of dating.

The first bit of advice in the Ourtime and Debrett’s Guide to 50+ Dating involves writing a dating profile and the tricky question of what sort of photograph to use in an online dating profile.

Kate Taylor, an online dating expert for Ourtime, recommends writing as if “you’re introducing yourself to someone at a party”, and to the relief of shy, retiring men, the onus is no longer on them. “Online dating is an egalitarian plane, and women can now take the initiative too,” says the guide.

One of the most burning dating dilemmas is the question of who should pay.

In keeping with its spirit of gender equality the guide states that “whoever issued the invitation should expect to pick up the bill”.

Then of course there is the age-old question of when to take things to a more intimate level.

Ourtime’s research found that many over-50s are in the mood to get things moving: almost a third of them would sleep with someone on the third date or before, with only 14 per cent waiting between six and 10 dates.

The guide reassures us that if things go well, a kiss, and maybe more, can indeed be on the cards among the over-50s, saying: “Don’t feel you’re jeopardising future prospects if your instincts are telling you to throw caution to the wind – whether it’s hug or a kiss or an overnight stay.”