“My Mother Chooses My Dates”

by Rachel Sklar

There are thousands of online dating sites, from the giants (Yahoo! Personals, Match.com) to the ultra-niche (Gothic Match, Trek to Trek. And no, we’re not making those up.) But the problem for some singles is the whole idea of online dating—from the work it takes to create a profile, to sorting through thousands of potential suitors, to the inevitable anonymous rejections.

Enter the dating service MatchmakingMoms.com, where the members are moms, not singles who love them. The site, originally launched in 2004, is the brainchild of San Francisco-based entrepreneur, Dawn Miller, 32, who was inspired to turn the matchmaking efforts of her own mother and her friends’ mothers into a larger network.

Unlike friend-recommended sites, such as greatboyfriends.com, parents know dealbreaking details that are often overlooked until too late in the dating game, such as whether you are a morning person or a night owl, messy or clean, or refuse to eat your vegetables. “An ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend may not always give an unbiased evaluation of you,” says Miller. “Your mom, on the other hand, has seen you in many different relationships and knows what has worked and what hasn’t about each.”

And who would know better than the woman who’s washed your mouth out with Dial? “She knows what makes you tick, and certainly, knows what living with you on a daily basis is like,” claims Miller. And while it’s certainly not for everyone, specifically those cursed with Joan-Crawford-esque moms, the site offers a unique approach to modern dating, by letting family members in on the pre-screening fun.

But while this sounds ideal for the Gilmore Girls and other abnormally-close family members, the typical single might find the idea of integrating mom into one’s love life downright creepy, inching towards Joe Simpson status. Others might dismiss the site out of skepticism; sensing adoring mothers are likely candidates for exaggeration. “Who is the first person to go on the nightly news after a guy is accused for murder? It’s his mom claiming that her sweet angel, despite the fact he’s covered in blood, would never do such a thing,” said Ken Wheaton, writer and blogger of Nondatinglife.blogspot.com “Almost all mom’s have one thing in common: they’re delusional when it comes to their children.” Convictsmoms.com, anyone?