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Single Parent Dating
Are you a single parent in the US looking to find a loving partner? You’re certainly not alone – the recent census found that New York City is home to just over 720,000 single-parent families by itself – so there are plenty of other single parents out there looking for love! The best thing about single parent dating is that you don’t need to hide your parental status or be concerned that it will put off a potential partner; with EliteSingles you can meet singles that have indicated their enthusiasm to date single parents. By connecting you with like-minded singles, the chances of meeting a committed partner greatly increase – it’s simply boosting your luck in love!
Dating with Kids
Putting yourself out there can be tricky, but with EliteSingles you can feel confident that the potential partners you’re matched with are like-minded, and will share your values and beliefs. Dating after divorce or moving on from an ex? Let us help put your past behind you – our aim is to find you a partner who even the kids approve of! From the first match to the first message, first date to first play-date, we’re with you every step of the way. Dating with kids needn’t be daunting; register with EliteSingles, take our questionnaire and get dating – it couldn’t be simpler!
Hectic schedule? We get it! Try our dating app to fit looking for love in on the go. Plus, get the most out of service with the expert advice and relationship tips available in our online magazine, including our ultimate guide to dating a single parent.
Dating as a single parent has a few more considerations than someone who is in the dating game without any dependents. For one, it’s important that you consider your date’s ease around children and how they may act towards your own. It can feel like a lot of pressure to be thinking about things like this when you are just trying to get to know someone, so even if you aren’t trying to answer these questions right off the bat, you’ll need to make sure that your date knows about your kids. It may come off as very dishonest if you have a few dates and really hit it off before letting them know, because there are a lot of things for someone else to think about when they are deciding to date someone who has children.
The Logical Benefits of Single Parent Dating
When you’re a single parent in the US, things just aren’t as simple as they were before children – especially when it comes to dating. When dating with kids it’s so important to be with someone who really understands your role as a parent and appreciates the fact that your child or children will often come first. So whether the babysitter is late, or your child is sick and you have to cancel a date, you’ll be sure that your partner understands what it means to be dating a single mom or dad. Choosing to try single parent dating with EliteSingles also means that you don’t waste time communicating with singles that arent compatible so you’ll have more time and energy for genuine, long-term potentials.
Let’s go over some of the unique challenges and considerations that you, as a single parent, will face in the dating scene before we talk about some advice and tips on how to find that perfect match. Whether you are a single parent yourself or want to learn about dating a single parent, we have you covered.
The Benefits of Dating as a Single Parent: Finding Love and Companionship
You’re a single parent, so you have a little one that you need to focus on caring for. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be seeking out love and affection, so getting out into the dating world is an important way to meet your need for love, intimacy, and physical connection while still caring for your children. In fact, you, as a single parent, may have a few things going for you that the childless don’t have:
Emotional Maturity
As a single parent, you have probably done a lot of reflection and growth as you work to help your child navigate their complicated emotions and grow in the world. This may have instilled an additional level of independence and maturity in your own life, and those qualities are highly attractive to potential partners, whether or not they have children themselves. You know how to deal with life’s challenges, you understand the importance of upholding your responsibilities, and you can take care of yourself and someone else — a major green flag.
Patience
Dealing with a little person’s big feelings can take a lot of patience, and if you didn’t have it before having a child, you probably have a bit more now! This emotional development on your part will carry over into your adult relationships and can give you the understanding that a strong and meaningful relationship takes time and effort. You may notice that you seek to understand before reacting, something that doesn’t often come naturally to us.
Balancing Parenthood and Dating: Strategies for Single Parents
Here’s something you might not know (kidding): parenting takes up a fair amount of time! Dating as a single parent can be a balancing act to make sure that you aren’t neglecting important parts of your life while trying to find someone special.
Understand going into dating that you are looking to create a new family dynamic. Yes, at the start your new potential partner may not meet your children or interact with them much, if at all, but when things get serious they will become a part of the family unit that is currently you and your children. With this understanding, you can communicate the importance and gravity of what comes with the “next steps” in a budding relationship to your potential partner.
Before you begin dating, you may want to establish some boundaries that are appropriate for you and your family that you can share with your potential partners while dating. When do you want to introduce someone to your children? How do you want that meeting to go? How much time are you willing to spend dating someone before they meet your children? It will be important for partners to meet your kids when things seem like they are getting serious, but not so soon that you may be introducing your children to a series of short-lived flings, which can be confusing and overwhelming for kids.
Let go of any guilt you are feeling about dating as a single parent. It’s important that your children see you seeking out the relationships that you deserve in your life, and see that you have every right to pursue happiness while also tending to your family and being a great parent. It’s important that we model healthy relationships, mental, and emotional health to our children.
Be honest on dates about your situation and your expectations for moving forward. This doesn’t have to mean that a potential date needs to come home and meet your children right away and start acting like a parent — because that isn’t realistic or helpful for anyone — but they do need to know that there is a package deal when dating you.
Finally, make sure that you stay understanding of other people and the way they feel about dating a single parent. A lot of people in the dating world are mature and stable enough that they may find this exciting, but there are many others who are not interested in having children be a part of their dating life. It isn’t a reflection on you as a person, and if anything you should appreciate that these people have the self-awareness to know that they are either not interested or not suited to get involved in a relationship like the one you are looking for.
Self-Care and Dating: Finding Time for Yourself
Taking care of yourself while dating as a single parent is important, so you need to make sure that you are giving yourself the time and attention necessary to stay healthy, happy, and be a great parent while getting out into the dating world. Here are a few important itips:
Schedule Protected Time
It can be helpful to set a calendar for your self-care time each week. This could be a yoga class, a trip to the spa, a walk, or even just sitting quietly to read on your own.
Prioritize Your Health
Make sure that you are eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and incorporating regular exercise into your routine. These are all important pillars of self-care that will help you feel your best while juggling parenting, work, dating, and the rest of your life.
Ask For Help
Don’t be afraid to ask for some support. Reach out to friends or family, or think about hiring a babysitter so you can carve out time in your week to take care of yourself.
Practice Mindfulness
Establishing a mindfulness routine into your daily schedule can be a helpful way to stay present, calm, and focused as you go throughout your day. Dating can be stressful and overwhelming, so keeping yourself levelheaded is important.
Say No
If you are feeling overwhelmed, remember that you can say no and engage in some “good enough” parenting. You aren’t required to take on more than you can handle, and turning down social events or additional responsibilities is important when you need to listen to yourself and get the self-care you deserve.
Remember Your Hobbies
Make sure that you don’t let dating replace your hobbies and interests. Forgetting about the things that interest you most can lead to feelings of sadness, boredom, or even depression, so even though it’s important that you take time to date, it’s important that you date yourself as well.
Single Parents Dating Other Single Parents: Understanding Shared Experiences
Dating as a single parent can be a challenge, but dating another single parent can have some advantages. First, you can get a clear understanding of how that person might be with your own child, based on what you observe with how they parent their children. You will also have some common ground that someone who isn’t a parent simply can not share with you.
You understand the demands and challenges that come with single parenting, and the single parent you are dating will understand these fully. There will be some immediate shared empathy, and you can both work together to navigate the complications of dating as a single parent.
They will also understand your priorities, as they will probably share them, meaning that they will probably be able to be more flexible on things like planning dates or getaways. If they do not share your priorities as a parent, this is a probably a good sign that things might not pan out in the long run.
You can look towards the future with the possibility of building a blended family, which can be exciting for all of the children as well as you and your potential partner. There are a number of additional bonds that can be formed with this arrangement which can be an exciting and non-traditional way to have a family.
Tips for Single Parents Who Haven’t Dated in a While
If it’s been a while and you realize it’s time to get back out in the dating scene, it can feel a bit overwhelming or intimidating to put yourself out there and break away from your normal routine. Here are a few important tips to consider:
Take Your Time
You don’t need to rush anything. Start slow, and don’t feel like you need to move conversations from the Elite Singles platform into the real world in any sort of hurry.
Consider Your Values
If you’ve been out of the dating world for a while, you have a special opportunity right now to think about your values and decide which things are completely non-negotiable in your dating life. As you go into meeting people, hold onto these values to ensure that you are moving into this new chapter with authenticity.
Maintain a Balance
If you haven’t dated in a while, it’s likely that you have established your own routine that works for you. Make sure that you don’t sacrifice this balance in your routine for dating.
Ready To Start Dating As a Single Parent? Let Elite Singles Lead The Way
The Elite Singles single parent dating app is an excellent choice for single parents who are ready to get back into the dating world. Our platform is designed for busy professionals who want quality matches as they seek out meaningful relationships, but don’t have the time to sift through an endless stream of profiles. Our detailed personality test matches you with potential partners who share your interests and values, and we prioritize quality matches over quantity. All of your matches will be verified, so you can move forward with your conversations with confidence.
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