Single mum dating

[GoldenRiceCakes]

I would like to start dating again but are there really men out there that would be interested in dating a single mum that doesnt get any free time to themselves? Any success stories?

How are you expecting to invest into a successful relationship when you don't have any free time?

Well I’ve been told some people date when their kids are at school and others mums who’s kids don’t see their father have got into relationships so it must be possible

Do you have free time in the week when kids are at school? Do you have friends and family who can look after the kids for you when you go out?
I think as long as you have some child free time it should be possible? I don’t speak from experience as I am married but a couple of my friends have managed to have successful relationships after their divorces.

I had "success" OLD for about a year, if you define success as meeting some nice blokes, no wierdos, led to second or third dates etc, but it wasnt successful in the sense it went anywhere.

Met my DP in RL.

I am curious though, if you say you have no free time, how can you date?

What free time do you actually have?
I didnt have a lot but I had a bit. I did saturday day dates (brilliant for a first meet up) and then was able to do a saturday or friday night every other weekend. I made it clear I was looking for someone to "adult with" as in go out, have fun, enjoy each other's company, not someone to live with, meet the kids etc but also not ONS....and what i found worked well. I guess I wasnt looking for serious when I was doing OLD as I wanted noone near my kids.

When I met my DP my whole attitude then changed as I could see something more. And everything has fitted into place.

So never say never. But you have to be:

1. Really really thick skinned. Think of these people as total strangers til you are months in.
2. Prepared to meet ppl quickly for a day date (quivk coffee) this is so you dont get invested in a pen pal.
3. Honest with yourself and your boundaries about what you actually want.

Dating when the kids are in school is going to seriously limit the pool of men you can meet. Where will you go to socialise and meet men during school hours?

It will be online dating, I only have free time when they are at school. No friends or family that would babysit

Ah ok. Well try that then and see how you get on.

Daytime dating on school days is going to be make it difficult, because the only men available during those times will be unemployed or night-time workers.

Or people who work from home. I can pretty much nip out for a longer lunch most days and make up the hours later.

OP I’m in a similar position to you and feel you are getting some pretty judgey replies on this thread from smug married people! I’ve v recently tried some apps and it is surprisingly easy to meet men in the daytime. They’re not necessarily unemployed or night workers any more than you are - plenty of people can flex their working days to accommodate dates. Give it a try, it has done wonders for my confidence, gives me space to be more of a person than ‘just’ a mother. But above all, I’m finding it fun :)

Where are the smug married people 👀

Thank you, I think you’re right on that one!

100% this.

Ime there's no shortage of men who are available during the day. Almost anyone who works in hospitality or entertainment. Men who work shifts as engineers or other trades. Lots of healthcare workers. Men who are self employed and manage their own schedules, or who work flexibly.

A significant cross section of the population does not work 9-5 Mon-Fri.