If you are a single dad who is looking to get back into the dating game and maybe find that special someone, you might well be feeling daunted about the whole thing. Dating is never easy, but when you are the main carer for your children it can be even more difficult as you try to balance their needs with your own.
With that in mind, below you will find some top tips to help you do dating the right ays as a single dad:
Make sure you are really ready
If you are jumping back into dating because you think you should or you realize that you are not getting any younger, rather than because you really want to meet someone who will enhance your life and make you happy, then it might be worth holding off a little longer. Dating when you are not ready is not usually very fulfilling or very successful, so wait until you are settled into a good routine with the kids and have plenty of time to focus on your dating life too.
Work out what you really want
Before you start heading to Tinder, or signing up for Russian dating apps, or hitting the local singles bar, for example, then it is a good idea to sit down and write a list of what you really want in a woman, as well as what you hope to get from the dating experience.
Doing this will enable you to work out how to approach dating and the kinds of people you would have more success with approaching too. Oh, and don’t forget to list any dealbreakers that would absolutely disqualify a woman from being in your life too.
Talk to the kids
If your kids are old enough to understand what dating is and what it might mean for them, then it is probably worth having a conversation with them before you go off and start meeting women. You will want to let them know that you will be dating occasionally while also reassuring them that this does not mean you will be spending less time with them or that they are not the most important people in your life. Gradually getting them used to the idea before you get serious with anyone will make it less of a shock when it happens, and hopefully, they will be able to accept any new partners in your life it more ease as a result.
Start with online chats
As a busy single dad, online dating is likely to be your best avenue for meeting someone in the first instance. When you do match with someone and you deem to hit it off, try to take it slow and get to know them online and via phone calls in the first instance. This will help you to better get the measure of them so you can find out if they are the kind of person you will be comfortable with potentially having around your kids one day. It will also mean you do not need to waste time away from your kids going on dates that are only ever going to end in disaster. There is no rush so take your time getting to know them.
Work on your self-esteem
After a divorce or breakup your self-confidence can take a hit and that can be pretty unattractive. So, if you want to stand the best chance of securing multiple dates with someone you like, working on loving yourself and winning back your self-confidence will really help you to achieve this. Remind yourself of all your positives and why you are a good catch before every single date and you will rock it.
Don’t get the kids involved too soon
It is never a good idea to introduce your kids to a new person in your life until you are sure that something serious is going to develop. It can be very destabilizing for them and it can make you cling on to a relationship that is not working well because you do not want to disappoint your children or make life more difficult for them, So. leave it until you have been dating for several months and things are getting serious.
We all deserve a happy and fulfilling love life and being a single dad does not change that, so there is no reason why you should not get back onto the dating game when you are ready, and when you are ready, the above tips will help you to do dating as successfully as you possibly can. Good luck.
