Tips on Single Parent Dating
There are more single parents in the U.S. than ever before. The 2010 U.S. census found that 27% of children live in a single parent household. Many of these single parents would love to be in a romantic relationship, but there are a number of challenges to single parent dating. Here are just a few of them, along with some possible solutions.
Where to Find the Time
One of the biggest hurdles for a single parent dating is finding the time to date someone. If you have kids, you know that your life is full. A typical schedule includes fixing lunches, taking them to school, going to work, picking them up, taking them to baseball practice, dance recitals and piano lessons, bringing them home, fixing dinner, cleaning up after dinner, helping with homework, putting little ones to bed, then relaxing by cleaning the house and doing laundry. Where is the time to date? We know single parents have a jam-packed schedule, but if you really want something to happen, you will find a way to carve out a few hours to meet someone for coffee or grab a bite to eat. The “busy schedule” is very real, but is often used as an excuse to NOT start dating.
Where to Meet Other Single People
Single parents, particularly those with younger kids, don’t find themselves at many places where adult singles traditionally meet. They are more likely to be at a kid’s birthday party, soccer practice, or a playground, rather than hanging out at a club or bar. One strategy would be to take your kids to a place that attracts both children and adults, like a museum. Of course, it’s still a bit iffy to try to meet someone while you’re watching your kids. Even if you manage to strike up a conversation with an attractive member of the opposite sex, you might have to bail out on them immediately to stop young Bobby from licking the paintings.
Another strategy would be to join a dating service. You could try one of the many online services, but that would mean spending hours online scrolling through profiles, searching for someone who looks like a possibility. A better option is a dating and matchmaking service like Two of Us. We get to know each one of our members personally. Every Two of Us client has been checked out, so if you invite someone into your home, you know you and your kids will be safe. This is an important issue in single parent dating.
We also create a personal strategic relationship plan, so we know what you are looking for and how we can go about finding it. Since we do this for all our members, the person we recommend is more likely to be compatible for you and shares similar goals.
The relationship experts at Two of Us know who they’re suggesting you meet, and we know you, too. We know what a “deal breaker” is for both of you, and Two of Us wouldn’t recommend meeting someone if it didn’t look like it’s going to be a good fit.
The Two of Us matchmaking service eliminates another problem often faced by single parents who begin dating: when do I tell my new romantic interest that I have children. With Two of Us your date already knows, and they’ve already said it’s just fine with them, or they wouldn’t be dating you.
Since you’ll be meeting someone with similar interests and goals, a lot of the anxiety and awkwardness that occurs when people begin dating just isn’t there. It makes a single parent’s re-entry into dating an exciting and fun experience.