Dating Tips for Divorced Parents

No matter what happened during your divorce or when, chances are there will come a time when you want to start dating again. However, it's important for parents to remember that the dating choices they make greatly affect not only themselves but their children. Making healthy, careful dating choices will help greatly contribute to the healing process for your entire family. Here are the five tips experts wish divorced parents knew about dating:

1. Give Yourself And Your Children Plenty Of Time To Heal And Adapt Before You Start Dating: No matter how friendly and cordial your divorce, you and your children will need time to adjust and heal before you allow another person into your lives. It's important that you take the time to process, analyze and heal any issues that contributed to or were the result of your divorce. Not doing so sets the new relationship up for failure for all involved. Statistically, second marriages are less successful than first ones (over 60 percent of second marriages fail) so take all of the time you need to process why the first marriage failed. Most experts recommend waiting a year after martial separation to date, but this is an individual choice. If the thought of dating doesn't yet feel right, wait.

2. When You Begin Dating, Be Upfront And Reassuring With Your Children: Fill your children in on your intentions, but keep it casual. Inform them that you'd like to start making friends and spending time with adults your own age. Acknowledge and address any feelings your children may express and reassure them that you will always keep all of your best interests in mind and would never let dating interfere with your time together.