Dating with Children

As I bounce my son on one knee, he looks up at me with a fistful of hair and gives me a squeal, a smile and a raspberry. A bowl of oatmeal sits next to me, which I am munching in between attempts at one-handed typing. My son looks curiously at my breakfast, leaning precariously close to try and mimic me. But I’m onto him, and swiftly plunk the spoonful in my mouth. Then I lie him down on my lap to breastfeed, and continue on with my mission.

I’m trying to check emails at Plenty of Fish and OK Cupid, my two favorite free dating sites. I don’t have any messages at either, although I’m not surprised. I’ve used both sites on and of for years, but have yet to meet anyone that I dated from either of them. I have had relative success with Lavalife, but I seem not able to log in there frequently enough for the service to keep my profile active anymore.

I remind myself that doing the same thing over and over again will only net me the same results, which means I need to either find new online dating sites, or start using other tactics to meet someone. Hm. There aren’t any speed dating companies in my area (I live in a small town in what is considered a semi-rural area), and I’m not a bar person. I really could use a workout for this post-baby body - so maybe I’ll investigate the nearby gym. At least then if I don’t meet someone new, I can still work on becoming more of a hot momma.

Hello, and welcome to the single parent dating blog, otherwise known as the Dating with Children blog. My name is Bonny, and I’ll be your blogger for this tumultuous yet incredibly rewarding ride. I plan on supporting, assisting, and guiding you on your dating-while-raising-a-family journey, while sharing my own dating with kids experiences (and hopefully not venting too much in the process).

I come to this blog a veteran parent and dater; a 33-year old never-married woman, with one tween non-custodial daughter and one 4-month old breastfeeding son. I have an excellent and supportive relationship with my daughter’s Dad, and a tense and relatively uncommunicative one with my son’s father. I’ve been officially single for just over a year, but haven’t dated during that time (because frankly, I couldn’t figure out how dating while being pregnant worked, among other things).

Have an idea, suggestion or comment? Feel free to email me or post a note to this blog.