There’s no two ways about it – being a single parent and trying to date is complicated. For single moms or dads who are juggling work with family responsibilities, it often comes down to having to choose between spending time with your kids or spending time with your date.
According to Paul A. Falzone, CEO of the world’s largest bricks and mortar dating service The Right One and Together Dating, “Dating as a single parent can be even more challenging than making a career change. But, you don’t always have to choose one or the other. There’s a third option – bring your child(ren) along on a ‘kid-friendly’ date.”
Falzone recommends single parents bring their child(ren) on a date ONLY if they are comfortable doing so and have been able to get to know their date better. He noted, “If you’ve only been on a couple dates with someone, it’s not the right time. But, if you’ve been dating someone for some time and are comfortable broaching the subject of a ‘kid-friendly’ date – go for it. Your date already knows you’re a single parent and most likely understands your time constraints.”
Falzone, who is the father of two, shares kid-friendly date advice:
· Be sure to consider activities that everyone might enjoy, but that are also age appropriate for the children.
· Check with the child(ren) and your date first, to gauge interest and ensure the day is a success.
· If you decide to go to a restaurant, make sure the atmosphere is casual and kid-friendly.
· Consider going to a playground, mini-golfing or bowling and heading for ice cream afterwards.
· Biking, hiking, sailing, going to the zoo, beach, aquarium or a picnicking the park are “crowd pleasing” activities.
· Amusement parks, water parks and carnivals aren’t just for kids – they bring “the kid” out in everyone.
· Sports it up. Like baseball, hockey or football? Tennis or soccer? Get tickets to a game (pro or amateur) and get in the fan spirit – wear your team hats or shirts, make a banner and so on.
· Rent paddle boats or go kayaking on a lake, river or bay for the day. No need to take on the challenge of level 4 river rapids, just get out and have some fun in the sun.
“There’s no need to take on the role of an activities director with a day-long itinerary. Plan one activity. It also helps to be flexible and have a back-up plan in case that first activity you thought of doesn’t work out. Then, relax and simply enjoy each other’s company for a few hours,” noted Falzone.
Help is on the way
Catering to more than 300,000 members at more than 60 locations throughout North America, The Right One and Together Dating are the largest brick and mortar dating services in the industry, offering a more consistent product, a greater number of potentially compatible mates and added value of flexibility in transferring memberships to another geographic region.
Romantic Locations
North American locations and affiliates of Together are located in: Indiana (Ft. Wayne, Carmel); Kentucky (Louisville); Louisiana (Metairie); Maryland (Columbia, Frederick); Minnesota (Edina); Nevada (Reno); New Hampshire (Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem); Ohio (Cincinnati); South Carolina (Greenville); Texas (San Antonio and Austin) and Virginia (Falls Church); Pennsylvania (Harrisburg).
The Right One’s offices and affiliates located throughout the United States include: California (San Diego); Colorado (Glendale); Georgia (Atlanta); Illinois (Downers Grove, Rockford Normal and Chicago); Massachusetts (Norwell, Newton Center, Shrewsbury and Woburn); Michigan (Bingham Farms); Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln); New Jersey (Cherry Hill); New York (NYC); Nevada (Las Vegas); Pennsylvania (King of Prussia); Rhode Island (Warwick); Texas (Dallas); Utah (Salt Lake City); and Wisconsin (Madison, Appleton, Elm Grove).
Singles Station Dating Company, an affiliate of The Right One and Together Dating, is the largest independently owned personal introduction service in the Southwest. In the last 25 years, Singles Station has introduced more than 100,000 couples and is responsible for thousands of successful relationships and marriages. Singles Station Dating Co. has offices conveniently located in Oklahoma (Oklahoma City and Tulsa), Arkansas (Bentonville, Fort Smith and Little Rock), Tennessee (Memphis and Nashville), Missouri (Springfield and St. Louis) and will be opening soon in Kansas (Wichita and Kansas City). For more information about Singles Station, please visit www.singlesstation.com or call 866-807-LOVE(5683).
For more information about Together Dating and The Right One, please visit their websites at www.togetherdating.com and www.therightone.com, or call (800) 818-DATE (3283).
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