Parents and Online Dating

everyone sure does have their own opinion specially family members..i was talking to a guy over the net before and we hang out with each other and dated..i guess you should try to tell them about him..there's no harm in trying, its better to know their reactions on it now than later than your feelings had grown already..your sister might just be worried for you..we all know what lies beneath the internet world..full of lies and pretensions..but if you really like this guy..know more about him and tell your parents what you learned from him..Good luck..

If you feel you really love him so much,you shoule be brave to face your love.But if I were you,I would have date with him first,in fact,I have the same experience as you have,but the problem is that after meeting,we find both of us were not the right person for each other,so bad.so I would recommend you meet first,and good luck!

I can understand your situation. actually mainly many are not that much comfortable with the onlin relationship. now do one thing. just before telling your parents, just you met the guy once to see whether you are comfortable with him or not. if so, then tell your parents.

Lily, there's an old saying that has come into it's own with all the wonderful things to be found on the World Wide Web. That saying is..."if it seems too good to be true , it probably is" and I'm very much afraid this might be the case with your young man. Don't be afraid to tell people. If they react badly just point out that if they continue to react badly you will stop confiding in them. Tell them you are being cautious and careful and telling them what's happening in your life is part of that. Continue to take things slowly with this chap. And if you do decide to meet him take a friend or 2 ...under no circumstances meet him alone.Meet him in a public place in the middle of the day

Well I think you should just do what you want and if you dont want to meet him yet then wait till your ready then tell your parents about him.

a couple years ago people would flirt using mail (now considered snail main) because it was the best thing they had to break the distance. later people started using the phone to do that and the phone bills ended some possible happy relationships ;) nowadays we have internet, email, computer games, chat, video conferencing all for the price of 1 computer + 1 internet connection. people are dumb not to take advantage of what they have. it's not the fact that you met someone in a bar that will make him/her a better person that another one that you met on a chat room, or a game you play. it's your life and your decision. if you feel uncomfortable telling your close relatives on how you met him don't do it till they ask. just tell them what you like about him.

I had the same worries with the man I met on line, the man who eventually became my husband. I eventually figured out that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. I did what was right for me, and I didn't tell anone!!! We met when we were both working on self publishing books we'd written. After a while, we started talking outside of the writing forum, and then decided to meet. That involved me flying to Arizona, since his daughter had just been in a serious accident, and she needed him there. I dind't tell anyone a thing!!! I knew better. First I flew to Phoenix then I called home. Mom didn't beliee I did it until I put Walker on the phone. A few months later we got engaged, after I'd been home, and flew back a second time. I told my mother, who was surprised but accepted it. I was waiting to tell my Dad. I told my sister first, and SHE told my Dad!!! AARRGGHH!!! I know what you mean about mistakingly telling your older sister. Older sisters can be like that sometimes. We finally talked to Dad, but sadly the grape vine dealt with him first. Walker and I decided to elope. Mom was going to be on vacation, so I couldn't call her on my wedding day, so I told her the day before she let, and did not tell anyone else. She promised not to tell anyone either. I decided to call Dad and tell him we were married BEFORE calling my sister, then I called my sister. She thought we were out of our minds bcause of the age difference (about 35 years), and the fact that we met on line. Oh well. her problem!! In time, my Dad and step-mom flew to AZ, and met us. People in my family are divided. Some think we did a good thing, others think we're nuts. His amily is divided the same way too. Ultimately it's YOUR DECISION just as it was our decision, and your parents really have no say in the mater. I checked your profile, and you're over 18. Of course you're 3 years youngr than I was when I met Walker and 6 years younger than I was when we got married, but YOU ARE OVER 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all that maters. As long as you've thought this though, it doen't matter what people think. I am not TELLING YOU to "sneak around," I'm simply telling you WHAT WE DID, and about our experiences. Yes, Walker and I exchanged things in he mail before we met. This was easy to do since I lived on my own at the time, so no one was asking me why I was getting mail from Arizona. Do you still live at home with your parents? If so, will they pry about mail? Can you get mail from him at a friend's place, or someting? Not becaue you don't trust him, just because you don't want any outide intererence. I hope I've been able to help you, somewhat. BEST OF LUCK from someone who has BEEN THERE!! I will send this to my husband, and hope that he posts a reply.

Hi Lily..I was in the same situation with you. I actually am marrying the man of my dreams whom I met online. It was not easy disclosing to my family that I was into online dating. Of course there were doubts and apprehensions but when we met those were erased. And I only told my family after I have met him personally. My family haven't met him in person but they have talked on the phone and in the chat. Now I'm with him and thanks God, he's such a nice guy. I hope you will be able to find the right time to tell your parents about this guy.

That's the hard part about meeting someone online, are they really who they say they are. Sometimes you have to take that leap, and hope for the best. I met my s/o online 3 years ago, and I have to admit, at first he sounded too good to be true, but turned out he was everything and more. Three weeks after we met online he flew from PA to Texas for us to meet the first time, spent a week together, and a month after he flew back home I was making plans to move 1600 miles. I never really told my parents how we met, they figured it was at a convention or something, since we're in public service careers. He did meet them while he was there along with my two daughters, and made a really good impression on all. My parents were very supportive when I told them I was moving. We did agree to meet as just friends to start, that way there was no pressure or great expectations, but we knew we'd be together from the moment I met him at the airport. We were both in our early 40's when we met online, a little bit of difference there from your ages lol. Good luck, I do think that since he is willing, that you should meet in AZ.