Dating as a Parent

As a single parent, my days are spent running, cleaning, changing diapers, singing, playing, teaching, working overnight full time, all while not losing my mind. So, naturally, I don’t have enough on my plate, right? I want to start dating again. I need your help guys!

I’ve been perusing content on TikTok and YouTube. And scary thing is… They’re all right, the dating pool has pee in it. Meeting people in the wild seems like the obvious thing to do but so far I’ve noticed that people are outside creating content to report back to social media and forgetting to actually enjoy the moments. So, I listened to a few friends and made a profile on ….. first impression, a lot of people to filter through. After finding a few prospects… I got ghosted! Not once, but twice. I think because I had kids, which by the way, was clearly listed in my profile. Second, who knows? Opinion… ghosting is cowardly. Have you ever been ghosted? Be honest, have you ghosted anyone? What were your reasons? How did it make you feel? I kind of felt rejected and being that I’m so new to this, my ego really took a hit.

Secondly, my children and I are a package! They’re a direct extension of me, so I ask, what are your reservations about dating a parent? Does circumstance play a part? How about the number of kids? Multiple parents? Divorced vs never married?

I can see children being intimidating especially if you do not have any. How will they perceive the new person? Are the parents still having sex? How is their coparenting relationship? Is there drama or unresolved conflicts? The list goes on.

Remember a few articles ago, I wrote about making time for yourself. Enjoying the company of family and friends both old and new is critical to having a satisfying work-life balance. I have to be honest, while my tots are young, at times, I feel guilty for wanting to hold onto parts of myself. But it’s truly a necessity. Trust me, I’ve lost myself and now that I’m finally rebuilding the relationship with myself, I don’t want to lose her again. And I’m ready to share some parts of myself again.

Are you dating again? What has been your experience? What apps, if any, would you recommend? It’s almost summer, let’s go outside!