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Dating a Single Parent — Life’s Greatest Life Hack?
An alternative perspective on having a child in your life
Until meeting my partner (8-minute speed dating style) I simply thought there wouldn’t be kids in my life. Having kids just doesn’t feel right for me. After my last breakup, therapy pushed me to seriously contemplate relationships and why I want one. As part of this, I went down the rabbit hole of thinking about what kind of family I would like. Kids just never felt like me, and I figured it’s irresponsible to have a child if you’re not experiencing a genuine desire to do so.
A man and a cat (or 3). Sounds good to me.
Fast forward a bit, I had been single for a while, and most of my closest friends would talk about the eventual families they would have. At the beginning, I was like “Great, I’ll be Crazy Aunty Cay” for all these kiddos. But over time, I started feeling less enthused. I started wondering what I might miss out on by not having kids. And feeling like I would be the odd person out. The friends I have are like family at this point, and they wouldn't leave me hanging out to dry, but I wouldn’t be able to relate to a massive part of their lives. I can empathize with them to the ends of the Earth… But it wouldn’t be the same.