Dating as a single mom was always a struggle for me. I never had the time nor the money to meet multiple guys until I found one that caught my eye.

So, I had joined the group of online dating! It was so convenient to be able to meet new guys through my phone. I also didn’t have to stress about trying to rush through a date because he was not who I was looking for.

So here are a few tips to keep in mind as your swiping right on prince charming.

Tip one: Red Flags

When your online dating ALWAYS be careful. There are a a lot of crazy people out there so its okay to be overly cautious. You and your child’s safety is the biggest priority. Here on a few precautions that I took when I started online dating:

• When they want to talk about your child more than getting to know you. Run. Its normal to want to know a little about the child of someone your interested in, but if that’s ALL they talk about they have a ulterior motive and its not good.

• When they are too lovey dovey too quickly something is up. I remember talking to a few guys and when we had gotten four messages in the conversation they were sprouting “I Love You”. That is something you want to watch out for. With what iv’e noticed with the guys that do that is they really want to trap you in a relationship quickly. And that isn’t a good thing because that means that they have a big flaw that they are wanting you to be stuck with.

• If they only want to talk about sex, then that’s the only thing they are wanting. Now if that is something that you are wanting as well always do you, girl. In my case though I was looking for a serious relationship so if they were only interested in that then I had ended it.

Tip Two: Things to Know

Getting to know someone is the main step in dating! Once you get passed from “whats your favorite song?” and “How many pets do you have?” its time to ask a little personal questions. And its okay that you do! Again, the top priority is you and your child’s safety!

• An obvious question to ask is has he been to jail?’ And if he has ‘What for?’ Now I get people make mistakes even in their younger years. But, if they have been to jail for domestic abuse then there is something that you cant really look past.

• Ask him about his relationship with his mom. LADIES!! How he treats his mom is how he is going to treat you!

• Ask him about his relationships with his baby mamma’s (if he has any). Now I know your probably like “Ugh baby mamma drama, Really?” Yes! History repeats its self so if hes not helping her support their child then hes not going to be a support to you.

Tip Four: Be Upfront

One thing I was really big on was being upfront with what I was looking for. But, I was really a “I don’t have time for this nonsense” type of dater. The first few messages I out was ” You do you but i am only looking for a long term relationship.” A lot of guys actually respected it no one really wants to try for something that they don’t want.

Also, another thing I brought up within the first couple of messages was that I had a kid (If they read my profile they would see it). Some guys just aren’t ready to date someone with a kid and that is okay. It is a big responsibility and commitment so its a really important thing to bring up.

Tip Five: When You Meet

Now that you decided that you are really interested with him and he think it can evolve into what your looking for its time to meet him! Now I was extra careful when planning to meet my man.

• I made sure to get it in a public place ( I watch too many murder documentaries). A nice picnic in the Park, a restaurant, or even seeing a play are all great public places for your first date.

• Now some people do take their kids on their first date, but that is not really my cup of tea. I always made sure that i had childcare secured before setting the date in stone.

• This was advised actually given to me by my sister. If you get in the car with him send someone you trust his license plate number. Like I stated previously there are a lot of crazies in the world. Its better to be safe than sorry

With all of these things in mind remember to have fun and be yourself!

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