Megan's mom Anne needed no encouragement to start dating again after her devastating divorce from Megan's father after nearly 30 years of marriage. Anne spent a very tough year working through the divorce and then, about year ago, started going out on blind dates and meeting men through Internet dating services. Megan says her mother's gone on dates with over a dozen men since that time and has had relationships with two of them. Dating radically changed Anne's life: instead of being depressed and thinking her life was over, she began acting youthful and vibrant.
For Megan, seeing her mom giddy with infatuation was a refreshing change. "It was cute to see her giggle like a girl. After what's she's been through it's nice to see her giggle about anything."
But Megan's joy soured when her mother started asking for romance advice and talking in detail about her own sex life. "A daughter doesn't really need to know everything that's been going on," says Megan, who says she felt "totally overwhelmed" by this private talk.
Dr. Nightingale agrees that just as most daughters can't play best friend and give dating advice to their mom, mothers really shouldn't divulge bedroom secrets to an unprepared daughter.
Megan has found keeping some distance from her mother's life helps keep their relationship healthy. Instead of offering love tips, Megan finds she feels helpful when she updates her mom on the rules�� or lack thereof�� of the modern dating scene.
Just as a daughter can't choose whether her mom will date or not, she also can't select who gets to play Mr. Right. Aside from just not liking a boyfriend's personality, daughters might be suspicious of a man's ulterior motives. "Some older men are just looking for a nursemaid," says Dr. Nightingale. Others have their eyes on a woman's bank account.