In 2012, there were about 10 million single moms. Your next date or girlfriend might be one of them. So, when you date someone with kids, what do you do? Always remember these things that professionals advise people who date someone with kids.
Expect Cancelled Dates
What’s the reason? As much as your girlfriend wants to be with you, kids will always come first. There could be an unexpected school meeting, medical emergencies, or household chores that might have been overlooked. Moms will always prioritize kids (unless you’re dating a bad parent). When you expect dates could be cancelled without prior notice, you create a space for yourself to be more understanding when these things happen.
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Don’t Dig Too Deep About the Biological Father
Of course, you get curious about the kid’s dad and you ask questions. This is okay since you’re trying to know about the past and deal with the drama without looking stupid in front of everybody. Still, this doesn’t mean that you have to dig deeper, like knowing what caused the breakup, whose fault it was, the lawsuit involved, etc. Relationships have ups and downs and recreating the moment by asking too many questions creates problems you have to deal with in the present.
Handle Babysitting Fees
You don’t have to do this every time, but offering to pay for babysitting fees if you’re out on a date makes you sound really thoughtful. This shows that you’re considerate about your girlfriend having kids and you accept the fact that she still thinks about her kids while she’s out on a date.
The average pay for a babysitters nowadays is about $13 an hour. If you’re out for about 4 hours, you might want to hire the babysitter for 5 hours just in case you get caught in traffic or dinner lasted longer than expected.
Dealing With Kids
So you’re dating a single mom, how do you handle kids? The most common reaction of a kid with a single mom who’s already dating someone is mostly negative. In some cases, the kid has a neutral reaction when the mom is already dating someone, but this will mostly likely change in the future. It might be good, or bad, depending on how you react with the kid.
If you’re dating someone with kids who don’t like you, never react negatively. Never try too hard to make kids like you. Whatever you do, don’t act as if you’re there to replace their dad. They’ll be the ones to decide that, not you.