You already know that online dating is more popular than ever, but you might be surprised to find out what age bracket just saw a surge of popularity on dating sites: Over 50s. As in–brace yourselves!–your parents. Yup. You or a friend (yikes!) might be browsing match.com and stumble upon your own mom. OMG! What the heck do you do then!?

That’s gotta be awkward, but we have ways to deal with finding your mom online looking for love. Because remember: Moms are people, too!

1. Close that window right away.
Seriously. You might read something creepy, like what she’s into in bed, if you scroll too far. Just quit while you’re ahead and head your cursor for the hills. Don’t make it any worse than it is!

2. Do NOT, under any circumstance, look at her photos.
That’s right. Your mom knows how to make sexy face, too, and she’s doing it all over the internet. Resist the urge to look. That’s something you can’t unsee.

3. Do whatever you can to erase the thought of your mom on a date from your mind.
Go for a run, play Halo, build an entire house out of Popsicle sticks–do whatever you need to do to occupy your brain with something other than your mom’s eHarmony profile. Because . . . ick.

3. Keep your trap shut.
Online dating is second only to mutual friends in how couples meet one another, so chances are if your mom doesn’t have a ton of time to hang out with her girlfriends, this is the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way for her to meet someone she has mutual interests with. And just like you don’t want her asking too much about your personal life or reading your diary, she probably doesn’t want YOU doing those things to her!

4. Have your big soap opera moment–but be smart about it.
Okay, if it’s a really weird case in which your parents are still married or something, you’ll absolutely want to clear the air with her directly. But don’t be a dumbass and gather everyone in your town together for your big reveal like they would on The Bold and The Beautiful. That’ll only make YOU look like the jerk here.

5. Remember that a happy mom = a happy life.
It’s creepy to think about, but um, she’s a person. People have crushes, people want to be loved, and people want to meet other people who are like them. People are also a lot easier to deal with and get along with when they’re happy. Try to keep that in mind . . . she might just let you stay out late for your Friday night date if she’s got one of her own!

Have you ever used an online dating service? What would you do if you found your mom online dating? Would you ever try online dating? Tell us in the comments!

Show your mom this if she and her new love want to make it FB official!

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