Even if you rarely say it out loud, as a parent, you might find yourself quietly worrying about your adult child’s relationship future. They may be a very kind person and deeply capable, even accomplished in their career, yet dating is the one thing that seems confusing and out of reach.
In modern dating, parents typically do not choose a partner for their child. What they can do is choose to support them with thoughtful, professional guidance that meets them where they are.
There are many reasons this happens and none of them point to failure. Maybe romantic development simply didn’t unfold on the same timeline as their peers. Others prioritized academics and career which did not leave room for relationships. Some young adults are neurodivergent and may find unspoken social rules, flirting, or emotional pacing hard to decode. And for others, intimacy and sexuality may feel like largely uncharted waters that they are “too behind” to catch up on.
Today’s dating landscape can actually amplify these challenges. Apps feel transactional and are not designed for people who need more context, reassurance, or guidance. Many young adults feel behind and embarrassed to ask for help, or not even aware that help is available to them. They may want connection deeply, but have the sense that there are mysterious basic dating skills that others seem to have absorbed effortlessly, that they have missed out on.
A skilled matchmaker does way more than suggest introductions. She works one-on-one, building a trusting relationship that allows your child to be seen as a whole person, which includes their strengths, sensitivities, inexperience, hopes and more. Through dedicated support, she helps them learn how dating works in practice: how to communicate interest, read signals, set boundaries, understand attraction, and move at the right pace for everyone. Intimacy, in particular, may be something they have never had the opportunity, safety, or support to explore, and working with a matchmaker can represent the first environment to do so.
This individualized guidance can be deeply transformative. The goal is not to rush or pressure, but to gently build skills and momentum towards a new, uncharted goal. As a parent, your role is to start the process and then entirely step back, leaving your child in the competent hands of a professional.