Asking for a Friend: Are Single Dads Actually Invested in Dating?
[Note to my readers: I typically focus on my experiences with non-monogamy & relationships in my writing, but sometimes I delve into other subjects I’m interested in, including general dating and parenting topics. For those of you who regularly follow my columns, I want to acknowledge that this particular piece deviates from my usual theme!]
I recently became a single mom, and I’ve been diving into the dating scene. One of the things I typically tend to look for is a man with older kids. I’m just not able to face even the possibility of having young children in my life again, but I also think dating another parent gives us more common ground. So I figure that someone with older kids is the best of both world: the shared experience of parenting but with more flexibility and free time than those with younger children, and a closer horizon to being an empty nester like me.
Anyway, while I totally understand that parenting comes with its own sets of demands, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern among my single dad dates that I can’t ignore. Despite their older kids being more independent, these dads seem to massively struggle with balancing parenting and dating.
Okay, yes, I admit this is probably not a super nice thing to say. But, hear me out. I’ve had several experiences dating, and one…
