Dating Tips for Divorced Parents

Watch how he treats the waiter at a restaurant. Observe him driving in rush hour traffic. Any signs of a temper? Any condescension or rudeness? Ask him about his ex if he has one, and LISTEN to his answer carefully. If there’s any unfinished business there, wait until it’s finished before you bring him home to meet your kids.

Likewise, ask about his relationship with his family of origin, and once again, pay close attention to his reply. Listen for red flags - unresolved anger, blame, lack of forgiveness, rigidity, etc. Don’t overlook these signals! They are warnings that tell you he may not be a good fit for your family situation. (It goes without saying that active addictions automatically disqualify him, right?)

Discuss topics like whether he wants to have children of his own someday. Talk about your childhoods, your values, and your ideas about religion, discipline, and finances. You can’t afford to wait until later to ask these kinds of questions.

Get it all out on the table NOW, before your kids meet or become attached to him. Neil Rosenthal over at www.heartrelationships.com has some quizzes and relationship checklists on his site that I find to be very practical and revealing. (I have no connection to Neil, and I get no kickbacks for sending you there. I just like his work.)

The bottom line: Is he the kind of man you would want your son to grow up to be? (If you don’t have a son, ask yourself the question hypothetically. It still works.)

If not, don’t bring him home. Either move on, or let your fling run its course out of the view of your kids.

Any prospective partner needs understand that your relationship with your kids came first: it was in place before he arrived, is permanent, and will always take priority at a very primal level. There is no room in your life for a clingy, dependent, or jealous man. This is not to say that your new partner will forever play second fiddle. It’s simply unkind, unfair, and unrealistic to represent yourself as anything other than what you are—a parent, first and foremost.