It may seem like as a dating single parent you either have a very long list of what you are looking for, or you worry that you have lowered your standards to someone who is breathing and employed. One element of finding someone to either date or, hopefully evolve into something “more” is finding someone who already “gets it” when it comes to some of the big realities of dating and living as a single parent. It is often easier to find someone who thinks he or she “gets it” that someone who actually does.
Of course, just being someone who has an understanding of the chaos and intensity that can be life as a single parent isn’t enough. It doesn’t make up for lack of chemistry or spark—but it is also really tough to get involved with someone who just does NOT “get it” either. At least you might be able to salvage a friendship with someone who “gets it” but with whom you don’t feel chemistry, if they are oblivious to what you are up against or with as a single mom or dad, then you have to decide if you are going to wait for them to get a clue, or cut them loose regardless of chemistry.
Generally, other single parents “get it” as do people who were raised by single parents—but this is not necessarily a rule. Plus, I’ve been told there are non-parents who can “get it” and understand the kooky life of a single parents, but I have not actually met anyone who fits that bill yet. It is partly these experiences with dating non-parents that have prompted me to make it my number one “what I’m looking for” statement that sits at the very top of my list of requirements for potential dates: Someone who “gets it.”
Also: Being the Date I’d Like to Have