Families

Those who are newly single parents may find themselves in an unusual situation; dating with kids - how does that work? After all, traditionally and probably the last time you were dating, there were no pre-existing children. Making the decision to date involves a lot of consideration about your children and the situation you find yourselves in as a family. Your choices about dating will affect your relationship with your kids as well as the well-being of your family. As the daughter of parents who were each married three times and as a single parent for 15 years, I look back from a wellness perspective to offer a checklist of points to consider about dating and how to decide when it is time for your date to meet the kids.

We have all heard and probably recited the nursery rhyme “sticks and stones can break my bones…” You know the rest: “But words can never hurt me.” If only it were true. The fact is that words do hurt. Unlike a bruise or broken bone, we can’t see the wound on the outside. Most of us can recall instances from our own lives when words cut deeply, causing wounds that may still hurt. Since these wounds are not visible to others, we go through life exhibiting behaviors that come from how we deal with these old hurts. If we try to bury the wound rather than learn from it, we not only prevent healing but we are likely to inflict pain on others.

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Also seen on 

• mydailymoment.com,
• healthywealthynwise.com,
• DrLaura.com,
• hitchedmag.com and  
• wellness.com.