Balancing the responsibilities of being a single parent with the desire to date can often seem like a juggling act. Finding time for romance in your busy schedule may appear challenging, but it’s not impossible. In this guide, we’ll explore practical strategies and tips on how to carve out time for dating as a single parent. By managing your time efficiently and prioritizing your personal life, you can embark on a fulfilling dating journey while still being an attentive and caring parent.
Creative Strategies To Help You Make Time for Dating Relationships
Finding the time for single parent dating relationships is definitely a challenge. After all, you’re busy with work and raising your children! How do you make the time to start dating again without taking too much time away from your other responsibilities? These suggestions will help:
1. Participate In Social Activities As A Family
There are many opportunities to build an active social life alongside your children. For example, think about the activities offered through your church, synagogue, or community group. What’s unique about a group social setting is that you have the chance to interact with a lot of people at once, and you can get a sense of who you might want to see again. This way, you’re not “wasting” another Saturday night on someone you don’t know at all and might not want to see again.
2. Have Lunch With Someone You Might Like To Date
Lunch is a very non-threatening and non-committal setting for getting to know someone. There’s little room for either person to assume any hint of commitment following a friendly lunch! Plus, regardless of how busy you are, lunch is something you should be stopping for every day, anyway, right? So consider getting a slice of pizza or a quick sandwich wrap with someone you’d like to get to know better.
3. Go Out For A Latte
Having a latte is a great way to unwind, and it makes for a quick dating opportunity. You’ll have the chance to get to know the other person, talk about what’s important to you, and then step back and think about whether you’d like to go out again. This might require an hour of your time, and it would serve two important purposes: the chance to relax for a few minutes, and the chance to get to know a potential new friend.
4. Meet At The Gym
I’m not suggesting that you seek out potential dates at the gym (though that could be fun). I’m suggesting that once you’ve met someone you might like to get to know better, if you’re both committed to working out regularly, plan to coordinate your workouts. Again, this doesn’t have to involve a huge commitment. “Hey, I’m going to the gym Friday morning; want to join me?”. You talk across the treadmill, share a few laughs, and get a sense of whether this is something you’d like to pursue.
5. Schedule A “Date” On A Saturday Afternoon
Daytime is a great time to get to know someone better! Again, it doesn’t imply a commitment; it’s simply an opportunity to have fun and get to know someone better. Try playing a round of miniature golf or visiting a museum together. If you really want to get to know someone – which is the idea if you’re trying to decide whether to invest more time in a potential relationship – look for activities that will allow you plenty of opportunities to talk and laugh with one another.
