‘Are you seeing anyone?’ its a question I’ve learnt to navigate pretty well – my repertoire of responses include ‘I’m destined to be forever single’, ‘I don’t have time’, and my personal favourite: a nervous deflecting laugh.
What all these answers mask is that dating is a lot like going to the dentist – the longer you put it off, the worse it appears yet in reality you know it’s actually a good thing.
I’ve been nervous writing this – do I sound desperate talking about how I want to date? Is it the done thing as a mother to admit that you’re finally ready to pursue a portion of life for you? I’ve talked about how dating as a single parent is a thoroughly modern mother’s dilemma. My thoughts remain the same, as single parents we’re judged if we do and judged if we don’t when it comes to dating.
After five years, life as a single parent isn’t what I imagined. There’s no repeating playlist of feel good songs and wine nights with friends, it’s as mundane and ‘normal’ as everyone else. The shifting landscape of family setups means that now more than ever, families come in all shapes and sizes.
I’ve said before that I’m not lonely, merely alone, yet as the years pass and Boo grows ever taller I’m increasingly aware that dating isn’t the worst thing in the world. Working from home means that there isn’t a pool of eligible dates congregating around the photocopier (ok I admit that one is a massive cliché) and with the living, breathing curfew that is Boo, evenings in bars where I *might* meet a potential date are few and far between – although after all these years (It’s been over ten years since I went on a proper date!) I’m not sure how that even works.
I’ve shared my disastrous tales of using another dating app before – I think the time has come to to take dating seriously. I’m working with Match this summer to show how dating isn’t a closed door as a single parent. Determined to put my money (and myself) where my mouth is, I’ve joined Match and created a profile.
Match understands the realities of modern dating and appreciates that single parents face more pressures than most. This summer you can claim a free date night thanks to Match and babysitting site Yoopies, who have partnered up to offer three free hours of babysitting, plus the usual membership fee to Yoopies waived. This offer is available throughout the whole of summer to any new or existing single parent Match member..
Match don’t claim to have a magic answer when it comes to dating as a single parent, however they understand that it’s often the practicalities that are some of the biggest barriers. Take care of those and you’re left with no excuses not to.
No one says you have to find Prince Charming (not sure he’s my cup of tea anyway – I’m more of a fan of the Aladdin look) and I won’t be sad if in ten years’ time me and Boo resemble Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls. However what I will be sad at is if I’ve not even ventured out into the dating world.
For more information visit http://bit.ly/HappyDating
Match is currently are offering 3 free babysitting hours via a service called Yoopies. Any new or existing Match member will be able to get a date night free with three free hours of babysitting, plus the usual membership fee to Yoopies waived. The Yoopies premium membership is valid for 2 months after being credited on the account.
Disclosure: This is a collaboration with Match, a fee was received for my time.
