Everyone’s Happiness Counts: Advice for First-Time Dating as a Single Parent

Dating can be a challenging process, particularly if you find that it’s hard to make time to meet potential partners.

However, if you are a single parent, that becomes all the more tricky! There are so many things to consider:

• When to bring up the conversation that you have children.
• Whether your date will be interested in being a step-parent.
• Make time between school runs and clubs for alone time.
• When to introduce a new partner to your kids.

There isn’t a right or wrong way to date as a single parent, so whatever your approach, if it works for your family, then you’re doing A-OK!

But, if you’re just getting back on the bike, the Best10Dating online guide to dating apps for single parents is an excellent resource to get you started.

In this guide, we’ll run through some of the top considerations for single Mums and Dads looking for the most successful dating app and some tips to make your dating experience run smoothly.

How to Use Online Dating to Meet Other Single Parents

Our first piece of advice is to check out the Best10 rankings.

This guide to dating apps rates a wide range of platforms independently, giving you detailed reviews and screenshots to help select the best Los Angeles dating sites for you.

The big bonus here is that every app includes a tonne of other single parents, so you’ve wiped one of those awkward conversations off your list!

Dating other parents has lots of benefits:

• Your date will understand the complexities of juggling kids and personal life.
• There isn’t any need to discuss whether they want to have children.
• You can chat and connect after mutual bedtimes without feeling pressure to rush.

Single Mums will also be familiar with the cheesy chat-up lines and awkward one-liners that can make online dating a chore. The most successful dating app options for single parents do away with that and allow you to match with compatible guys on your wavelength.

Make Choices Relevant to Your Children

Next, it’s wise not to listen too closely to people who always have something negative to say!

Dating doesn’t mean you aren’t putting your kids first, and you do deserve happiness, whether that means being in a fulfilling relationship or starting a new career!

Many people have preconceived notions about when you should introduce a new partner or the ‘correct’ way to manage family dynamics. Still, the reality is that every family unit works differently.

If your kids are older, feel free to have honest conversations about your need to have companionship and how that doesn’t impact your love for them or your need for your children to be happy in any way, shape or form!

Smaller ones likely won’t be emotionally mature enough to grasp concepts such as adult company, but they will want their parents to be happy — so if it makes you a more content person, it makes you a better parent too.

Why Patience is Key in Single Parent Dating

Finally, it’s essential to avoid putting strain on your family or dating experience by trying to rush into anything — or expecting your first pick from our guide to dating apps to deliver a ready-made happily-ever-after in the first week.

There are lots of reasons that single parent dating tends to take time:

• Childcare: unless you have a great co-parenting agreement with your ex, likely, you won’t have bags of free time to arrange regular date nights.
• Flexibility: kids get sick, have a terrible day, and sometimes just need a hug. Single parents are familiar with cancelling plans to be there for their little people!
• Time: as much as you want every night to be a whirlwind romantic adventure, you need time to decompress and chill out. Balancing that with dates, bedtime routines, after school clubs and everything else, and you might be able to squeeze in a date every couple of weeks if you’re lucky!

It’s also crucial you allow yourself the space to feel out any new relationship and make long-term decisions about whether it’s likely to turn into something serious.

As a parent, that’s often a more significant decision since regular dating inevitably means you might need to rethink your schedule and perhaps start planning a time when you’d like to invite a date to your home or even to meet your children.

Again, there isn’t any correct time to do so, but you need to be comfortable you’re making mindful decisions without being pushed or rushed into the next phase because it feels like you have a deadline.

Take your time, make sound choices, and enjoy the experience of dating — and all the benefits that it can bring to your family!