Single mom of two dating

It's inevitable, folks—us single mamas are going to start dating again. This time, let's go in with some sage advice from other single parents who've dated with success. Parenting is challenging enough. Throw in raising a child as a single parent and, well, just think Mount Vesuvius on a good day. Hella hard.

Here's the truth: dating while divorcing with young kids is complicated. It's complicated, and messy, and full of panicky meltdowns where you turn the manual sideways and wonder if you're actually doing it all wrong. But surprisingly, despite the enormous amount of people in this position, my recent Google searches on dating with kids post-divorce have turned up next to nothing on the subject. There are lots of lists, of course, indicating the appropriate time to introduce your new partner to your children and how to do so smoothly. But I couldn't find any brutally honest testimonials describing the way to be both a single mom and a girlfriend without screwing everything and everyone up in the process. I should probably start by saying I believe whole-heartedly that there is nothing wrong with dating when you have kids.

I've spent the last four years adjusting to the single parent side of my divorce, but I haven't done much to address the single woman side of post-divorce life. I'm hoping to change all that, but the mere thought of being a single mom dating in earnest is scary as can be. To remedy my fears, I turned to seasoned dating coaches, Julianne Cantarella, MSW , and Elisabeth Lamotte , a licensed psychotherapist and relationship expert, to figure out the biggest dating mistakes single moms make and the smart moves that should replace them. I've seen clients get overly comfortable being single, so when they re-enter the dating world it brings on a whole set of complexities.

Jump to navigation. It starts with the right advice. We've found the five things you need to know before dating a single mom — and three reasons why doing so can change your dating life for the better.