Should Single Parents Start Dating Again?

Melanie Kane
3 min readOct 18, 2022

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Why not?

Everyone deserves to experience love, even single parents.

You may desire a romantic life but are hesitant to pursue it because you believe it will only distract you from caring for your children. They are your top priority, so you might feel guilty for wanting a life of your own.

But, don’t you think you should prioritize yourself this time?

Getting back into the dating scene doesn’t mean you’re abandoning your children. Just like everyone, you want to feel a sense of interdependence and attachment that only romantic love can give. No one should shame you for wanting a second chance in love.

If you’re wondering whether you should start dating again, here are some reasons why you should.

You’ve become mature and strong.

It takes a real man to raise a child alone. The responsibility of giving their wants and needs lies solely with you, causing you to feel stressed and overwhelmed.

But, when you get the hang of it, you’ll realize that everything is worth it. Being a single parent has made you mature and strong and that’s exactly why you’re ready to date again.

You have faced frustrations, discomforts, and defeats in raising your children. So, experiencing challenges in the new relationship won’t break you. Instead, it will make you stronger and better, leading to a happy and healthy relationship.

You know your worth.

You’ve reflected, healed, and taken the time to grieve your past relationship. That said, you already know what you deserve the moment you take a new love interest.

Now that you have a healthy sense of self-esteem and no longer put up with toxic people, you’re confident that you can experience an honest and respectful new relationship.

You’ll create a happy family.

Raising a child with a partner is difficult enough. Imagine how much more difficult it is if you are alone.

If you have a partner, your children will have better physical, mental, and emotional development knowing that they have both parents to take care of them. But you can only achieve this if your partner is also willing to take on this level of responsibility.

So, be careful in choosing your partner because not everyone is ready to date someone with kids. Before taking things further, ensure that they understand your situation and accept you wholeheartedly.

You’ll be happier.

Some single parents prefer to devote all of their time and attention to their children rather than finding a romantic partner.

But, you shouldn’t feel guilty because you’re not like these parents. You may not know this, but thousands of single parents are happier when they have a partner.

In fact, research studies claim that having a good romantic relationship can lead to better health and an even longer life.

You deserve a second love.

Many people judge single parents for wanting to love again. But, as far as we know, we don’t have the right to interfere with them as long as they don’t neglect their children.

Managing the responsibilities of a single parent can take a toll on you. You may not abandon your children, but you’re abandoning yourself.

Learn to love yourself too. Do things that bring you joy. If you think that a new relationship will make you happy, go ahead and pursue it.

Don’t be afraid of other people’s judgments. After all that you’ve been through, you deserve to choose yourself and be happy. You deserve to be in love again.

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Melanie Kane
Melanie Kane

Written by Melanie Kane

I’m passionate about helping people find deep, emotional connections through 1stchoicedating.com/welcome