What’s your worst dating disaster?

British singles have had their fair share of dating disasters, according to a recent survey by online dating site PARSHIP.co.uk.

• Two out of five admitted to turning up late to a first date, or not showing up at all;
• 28% talked about their ex and past sexual experiences;
• 14% confessed to over-indulging in alcohol;
• 6% said they’d been chaperoned by a friend, their mother, or even a pet.

The top ten of bad dating behaviour is:

1. Entrances & Exits: On average, 30% of men and 48% of women admitted to turning up late for a first date, with one in ten women keeping the man waiting for 30 minutes or more. However, 12% of women and 6% of men admitted to taking advantage of their date’s absence at the bar or in the loo, and leaving without saying goodbye. Some dates never even got that far: a total of 5% of men and women said they had turned up to a date, not liked what they saw and then made a speedy exit.
2. The Ex: Most people know they shouldn’t talk about their ex on a first date, but for one in five men and women (27%) the urge has proved too great. In a similar vein, 12% of men and 6% of women admitted to talking about previous sexual experiences.
3. Drinking: A more disturbing set of statistics: 11% of men and 14% of women say they’ve drunk so much alcohol on a first date that they’ve felt they weren’t fully in control of themselves. 25% of men and 20% of women say they’ve drunk 9 units or more on a date. (The recommended weekly maximum intake is 21 units for men and 14 for women, with a two day break.)
4. Yours or mine? 30% of men and 20% of women admitted to going home with their date, with one in four men (26%) and one in five women (20%) claiming it led to sex.
5. The Bill: Credit-crunched Brits are now more likely to keep their hands firmly in their pockets, particularly if the date isn’t going well. One in four women (19%) and 4% of men say they’ve purposely not offered to contribute financially towards the evening, leaving it to their date to pick up the bill.
6. Lies and more lies: 8% of singles say they’ve lied about their age on a first date; 6% pretend that they’re not dating other people, 4% lie about their job and salary, 3% that they still live with their parents — and 2% have conveniently forgotten that they’re not in fact single.
7. What’s in a name? 10% of men and 3% of women say they’ve even forgotten their date’s name.
8. Three’s company: 5% of women and 3% of men say they’ve been chaperoned by a friend or even their mother – on a first date. 1% thought it acceptable to bring a pet, maybe named Gooseberry.
9. Arguments: With all these bad manners going on, maybe it’s surprising that just 3% of singles say they’ve (further) spoiled the evening by arguing.
10. Text, please! 4% of women and 2% of men say they’ve called or texted another potential date in the course of a first date.

Dr Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist and PARSHIP’s dating exert, commented, “For some, a first date can be more like negotiating through a minefield. People can feel under an enormous amount of pressure to make a good impression on a date. Dating faux pas can be put down to several factors, including bad manners, nerves, inexperience or lack of compatibility. Action can be taken to improve bad manners or to calm nerves. On the other hand, if two people have little in common or their personalities clash, it’s never going to be a match made in heaven — but there’s still no harm in behaving in a dignified manner.”

So what’s been your worst dating disaster? Can you even bear to share?

My worst one has to be the week-long visit to a girl I’d been communicating with long-distance. Neither of us had any transport and she lived in the middle of nowhere, so we were driven around (and mad) by either her mother or her ex-boyfriend. Not great.

Internet Watch: Such A Smart Mom

A new web site has launched — SuchASmartMom.com — which lets parents pool resources by asking questions of other parents.

Shrinking school budgets, crowded classrooms and fiercer-than-ever competition to get into college make it more important than ever for parents to be involved in their children’s education.

“As a mom, I understand all too well that parents have just 13 precious years to get their kids from kindergarten to college,” said site creator Ruth McKinnie Braun. “Such A Smart Mom will be there every step of the way as a trusted resource.”

Braun started Such A Smart Mom after more than two decades as a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune. She’s a mother of two teens and a former parent group president with more than a decade of school volunteer experience.

Her extensive background in journalism shows through in the caliber of her reporting and writing. Her instincts as a mom and parent volunteer guide her story choices and bring a unique voice to her first-person blog that also appears on Such A Smart Mom.

“Our children can’t put their education on hold until the economy turns around,” Braun said. “Their time to learn is now. Fortunately, smart moms and dads can turn to Such A Smart Mom to help their kids get where they need to go.”

Celebrity Watch: Katie and Peter, Jennifer Aniston/Bradley Cooper

Katie and Peter

Rumours surrounding Katie Price and Peter Andre continue regarding what led the couple to split.

One thing seems certain: the newspapers won’t leave this alone, even suggesting that they have an intimate knowledge of the couple’s sex life.

Jennifer Aniston/Bradley Cooper

Reports suggest that Bradley Cooper is very flattered to have been romantically linked to Jennifer Aniston, even though the rumours are completely untrue.

“My mom loves it, but, unfortunately, it’s not true,” Cooper said.

Internet Watch: CBeebies iPlayer, Kidlandia

CBeebies iPlayer

The BBC has expanded the reach of its incredibly popular online TV catchup service, BBC iPlayer, by creating a special version made specially for under-6s.

Though children’s content is readily available on the standard iPlayer, this version is not only more colourful and accessible for younger computer users, but will only show CBeebies content. This makes it much easier for parents to control what their children are viewing, particularly as it’s possible to add parental locks to various programmes.

As per the main iPlayer, most shows are available to watch for a week after broadcast, with series being available to catchup on for up to 13 weeks.

CBBC iPlayer, aimed at 6-12s, launched last year.

Kidlandia

There’s a new online destination where kids and parents can connect in their very own virtual kingdom.

Kidlandia allows every child to be king or queen in their own fantasy kingdom with whimsical characters as companions, from horned Uniquills and scowling Grumps to long-trunked Yuhoos cavorting in Peppermint Meadows.

The child’s unique fantasyland online becomes home decor as a wall art map that displays islands, cities, mountains, and other features named after family and friends. The map is a legacy gift that can be presented as a family heirloom to decorate a child’s room, or ordered as a canvas scroll for sharing on a play date or at family reunions.

Kidlandia is the inspiration of Brian Backus, who started drawing the fascinating, illustrated characters that populate Kidlandia when he was just 4 years old, after being inspired by the stories of family neighbour Dr Seuss.

“Every child is enthusiastic about being the king or queen of their very own kingdom, with places named after a parent, brother, or best friend,” he said. “Kidlandia provides a personalized and safe way for parents and children to spend quality time online together, learning about and recording their own family stories in a kid-friendly way that then becomes a legacy. I wish my grandmother had one!”

Gigglebiz: New BBC sketch show for under-sixes with Justin Fletcher

CBeebies has commissioned a new comedy show specially aimed at under-sixes.

Justin Fletcher, known to many as Mr Tumble and presented of Something Special, will perform a series of madcap skits and sketches in Gigglebiz (official CBBC Gigglebiz web site).

It will be CBeebies’ first live action sketch show, due to air this summer.

The series of 25 episodes is a rambunctious collection of short, simple, funny sketches packed with lively, hilarious and eccentric individuals including:

• King Flannel: a decrepit old rogue with a penchant for trying to outwit his butler or generally misbehaving without being caught.
• The Berito Brothers: a slightly faded troupe of past-their-best acrobats. Two of them have still got what it takes but the third: Justin, obviously: most definitely hasn’t!
• Gail Force: a glamorous weather reporter with an uncanny knack of forecasting weather conditions which happen only to her … and not always in the most obvious ways!
• The Lost Pirate: an out-of-time pirate on the constant lookout for treasure with the aid of his map (complete with “x marks the spot” instructions). He travels around in a little kayak for paddling across water: whether that’s the water feature at the local park or the fountains in a shopping mall.
• Nana Knickerbocker: Nana lives her entire life as though she’s in a panto. She invokes all the catchphrases and traditions of a panto, but mainly in completely inappropriate places: like the supermarket. Or shoe shopping! She’s even given to throwing random bags of sweets at total strangers.

Justin Fletcher said: “With 20 characters in all, let’s be honest, this is just a big excuse for me to dress up in funny costumes every day and be silly. It’s such brilliant fun to do.

“We gave some characters a test run in the summer with a pilot show and feedback was really strong, so I’m so excited to be back and making a full series! You could say, I’m in the truly biz of making them giggle!”

UK TV Watch: 8th-14th May 2009

Welcome to the Family Relationships Magazine weekly roundup of family/relationships TV highlights for the coming week.

Please be aware that these are generally programmes about families and relationships, and are not necessarily suitable for all-age/family viewing.

Friday 8th May

Affecting everyone, the Tonight programme shows Credit Secrets Revealed, in which Martin Lewis reveals the secrets of how credit scoring works and explains how to improve the chances of getting the best financial deals.

Wife Swap is at 10pm on E4 – no celebrities this time. A career-oriented wife goes to live with a hunter-gatherer husband.

Sunday 10th May

The Cutting Edge film Madeleine Was Here (10pm, More4) reconstructs the night Madeleine McCann disappeared and the efforts of her parents to create a normal life for their other children.

Monday 11th May

Make My Kids Happy (8pm, ITV1) conducts a social experiment by taking away the material possessions of a group of teenagers for one month to see if breaking their cycle of excessive consumerism makes them happier. Second part airs on Friday at 8pm.

Alernatively, Dispatches: Lost in Care (8pm, Channel 4) reveals the scandal in the British system that condemns vulnerable children to lives of isolation. Thousands are taken into care every year but there’s a wait of two years or more for adoption.

Following this, Find Me a Family (9pm, Channel 4) follows three households as they attempt to find homes for children that no-one has come forward to adopt. Continues tomorrow and Wednesday at 9pm.

Thursday 14th May

Cutting Edge: The Homecoming (9pm, Channel 4) is a film exploring the effects of long-term care on kids and their families. Thirty years after she was placed in a Doncaster children’s home, Rachel Roberts goes in search of the other children who were there with her. Armed with just one old photograph and some distant memories, Rachel discovers some astonishing stories from her former housemates and meets a long-lost member of her family.

Gadget Watch: O2 Joggler

Welcome to Family Relationships Magazine’s weekly roundup of family-friendly gadgets.

Designed to act as the virtual fridge door for busy families, the O2 Joggler is a new device designed to organise family life.

For O2 customers, it works with the interactive online calendar and mobile phones, sends out text messages, provides various information including news, sport, traffic and weather updates, and it can also play and display music, photos and video on its screen.

If someone updates the shared events calendar from their PC, it automatically updates the Joggler too. There’s more information about it at O2Family.O2.co.uk.

It’s coming tomorrow, priced £149.99.