Single Parent Dating Tips

Dating can be difficult in any situation, but single parent dating has its own set of problems. In this particular dating game, single dads and single moms dating have more to think about than just themselves. They also have to consider their kids. Practically everything parents do, including dating, affects the children in one way or another, either directly or indirectly. The effects can be positive or negative, and in some cases, they can even be dangerous. When you’re engaging in single parent dating, be sure to use some common sense. After all, you’re not a teenager anymore. I dated while I was a single mother, and so has one of my daughters. We’ve come up with a few tips for single parent dating that you might find useful.

For many folks, there are different types of dates and dating. My friends and I used to jokingly categorize dating into three major classifications: sport dating, convenience dating, and love dating. What’s the difference? Sport dating is when you’re just going on a date for fun, for the “physical rewards,” or as a sort of conquest. Convenience dating is like when you need an escort to a function, or when you want to go to a concert and the only way you can go it to have a date with tickets, or when you want to go out but can’t afford to do so without a date. Love dating should be pretty self-explanatory. It’s when you’re seriously looking for a committed relationship.

Going out with someone is often referred to as a dating game, but dating shouldn’t always be perceived as a game. For example, when you’re love dating, to use our terminology, dating isn’t a game at all. And in any case, the dating game can turn serious in a heartbeat. This wasn’t such a big problem in the past, before internet dating. People used to make dates with folks they knew from church, from work, from a shared hobby, or through a friend. Nowadays, however, anyone can pretend to be anything on the internet, and that includes online dating sites. That cute guy you met at an online dating site might appear to be a handsome philanthropic doctor, when in real life, he could just as easily be Attila the Hun or Freddy Kruger.

Just because you’ve failed at one relationship doesn’t mean you can’t have a good relationship. Of course, you might be a single parent through the death of a spouse or significant other. Having kids doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your desire for romance and fun. You’re not dead – you’re just a single parent!

If your kids are close to their estranged parent, accepting a new romantic interest in your life might be difficult for them. There’s really no need to expose them to this unless you get somewhat serious. Meeting one of your new love interests every week probably isn’t healthy for kids. If you’re just interested in sport dating or convenience dating, it’s probably best to leave the kids out of it completely. If, however, your interest in a person has progressed to love dating, the kids will have to be involved sooner or later. If and when it does, don’t “push” the man or woman on your kids. If your guy or girl sincerely likes your kids, the kids will pick up on it. Just let the relationship with the children evolve gradually and naturally.

Single moms dating need to follow special precautions. Sorry if you think this seems sexist, but women are more physically vulnerable than men are, generally speaking. Most men don’t have to be worried about getting beat up, killed, or raped by a woman. Unfortunately, it happens all too often to women, with males playing the part of perpetrator. Single moms dating also have to take the safety of their children into consideration.

If you’re a single mother and make a date with a man you don’t know, don’t let him know where you live at first. Also, on the first date, meet him at a public place, where there are plenty of people around. No matter how well the date goes, resist the urge to go back to his place or to allow him to come to your home, until you get to know him better. If he invites you to somewhere that’s not a public place, like to go on a picnic or on a hike, suggest that a couple with whom you’re friends join you. If things progress, and no red flags have gone up, you might still want to do some investigating before you bring the guy home. This can be done through friends, associates, and even through a professional background checking service.

When you go out with the guy for the first time to a non-public place, be sure to tell a trusted friend who you’re going out with. Give her the guy’s cell phone number. Tell her what time you’ll be home, and tell her you’ll call her as soon as you get home safely. In the rare event that there’s some sort of foul play, at least your friend will have the information needed to trace you.

You might think I’m being overly cautious, but I know that there are some sick individuals in the world. When I met my current husband, I was a single mother. I really liked him the first time I met him, but I didn’t know anything about him. When he wanted to give me a ride home, I flatly refused. I remember telling him that he could be an ax murderer, for all I knew. Of course, my fears were unfounded about him, but I’ve had friends and co-workers who weren’t so lucky.

I’m not saying that single dads never have to worry about dating dangers, but statistics show that there’s a lot more violent male-on-female crime than there is female-on-male crime. Single dads and single moms, however, will both have to worry about strangers being around young children.

Sometimes single moms dating single dads can be a great situation. If you don’t know the other person, make it a group date and include the kids from both parents. This type of date can have several advantages. For one thing, it’s almost guaranteed to be safe. For another, there won’t be any awkward silences. If your kids and his kids are close in age, the date will probably be even more fun. The two of you could take the kids to the park for a picnic, to a carnival, to the movies, or to a children’s museum. You’ll get a chance to see what type of parent your date is by how he interacts with the kids, and even if you and he don’t hit it off, the kids might.