For singles without children, dating is hard and stressful
as it is, but for single parents, it is that much more
difficult, since you must consider the welfare of your
child or children. This does not mean that you must live
your life alone until the kids become adults and move out.
It is possible to combine single parenting and dating.

The first thing about single parents and dating is the need
to be realistic. A single person with no kids has a bigger
playground to play in, so to speak. A playground to a
single parent is a lot smaller with a lot less toys to
choose from. A lot of people have made the choice of not
having any children of their own. Whatever their reasons,
it is a choice that is very personal. You must be extra
careful and selective as a single parent, because the
person you date may one day be a part of your child's or
children's life's. Therefore, if it is online dating where
you are looking for your future partner, when completing
your profile, answer truthfully and state the number of
children you have, this way the person viewing your profile
will have the option of wanting to meet you, or not.

Single parents usually look for other single parents to
date. Having children yourself should make you open to
dating others who also have children. This is also a part
of reality. While you may not have thought about expanding
your family, meeting someone with a child or two, might do
just that. As a single parent who is dating you need to be
open minded as to what is available out there. That does
not mean you need to settle for someone under your
expectations, or standards.

Being a single parent can be difficult depending on the age
of your child or children. When you have small children who
may need babysitting services when you go out, your going
out times may turn out to be few and far between. Having
children usually turns you neglectful of your personal
needs and soon you may start feeling alone and isolated.
You now don't know where to begin when you are ready to
date. As a single parent you may often have serious doubts
as to whether someone will wish to date you when they learn
you have a child or children.

Although the home situation is very important, a person who
will date a single parent needs to focus on the person they
are dating rather than on the home situation. The domestic
situation is, of course, important, but it is not who that
person is.