Single Parents Dating Tips

Divorce brings about several unhappy and difficult aspects to the lives of people.  One of the positives is that it can bring the promise of a happier future. At the same time, the newly single parent will need to come up with a strategy for dating again.  This can be a lot of fun! It can also be pretty difficult to arrange dates if you’re now a single parent.

Children are meant to be little blessings that enhance your life in ways you never dreamed possible. They can be just that, but they can also be snags in the cog of the dating wheel. Depending on the age of children, they can need babysitters or they can be old enough to take care of themselves – right along with disliking anyone their parents may be dating. Either of these situations is less than pleasant.

Good babysitters can be very hard to find, and when you find a good one, it’s probably going to cost you an arm and a leg. In addition, those excellent babysitters stay so booked up that you have to almost call a month in advance to make sure they’re yours for the evening. Seriously, who knows that far ahead of time whether they are going to have a date that night or not?

The older kids that don’t like that you’re dating someone that isn’t Mommy or Daddy can be rather rude and embarrassing to the new person in your life. In fact, they can say and do such horrible things that it almost makes you decide that you’ll never date again. However, that isn’t the answer either.

There are ways to get around this and still have a satisfying and fun dating life. First of all, you should try to find dating sites and organizations that have been formed just for single parents. Other single parents will certainly understand any issues you may be having regarding having children and dating. On top of that, it gives you both something in common right away.

The cardinal rule about being a dating single parent is to never lie about the fact that you have children. Be upfront about it and then detail slightly what your situation is – as in where do the children live? It will make a difference whether they live with you full time or part time.  Shared custody will give you some time off where your child will be with your ex and you will have the chance to have some pleasant dates.

If someone finds children to be a deal breaker, it’s better to know that ahead of time rather than find it out later when you’ve started liking that person. You do need to consider your child, or children, when dating someone new because you just never know if that person will become a more permanent part of their lives at some point. With the right amount of caution and delicacy, you can be a single parent AND date successfully.