Author: Zen King
I thought I would set down a “rough
guide” for men thinking about starting a relationship with a single mom
and what some of the ramifications are of dating and entering into a
deeper relationship with a single mom could be. Of course this guide
does not apply to all women or all men but it will list the main
problems I have observed through over the years.
Contrary to popular media-myth I
have yet to meet a single mom who was career driven, carefree, balanced,
and happy; doing it all type gal as often portrayed in most media
outlets. The reality I have seen over the years is usually a stressed
out, overworked, debt stricken woman who really had no idea children
cost so much in time, effort and money. Their careers are on hold as
they need to balance their child with sickness, school activities etc…
versus moving up whatever career ladder they are on. Most single moms
are raising their children with help of an extended family member (usually
their mom), a bevy of friends and other single moms they find in support
groups. It is usually not a pretty picture at all.
Somewhere along the way, usually
quite quickly they come up with the idea that they need a “partner” to
help them in their new enterprise of having a child and the sooner they
can get one the better. Realizing they have a bit of a disadvantage with
having a child and being in the dating scene they resort to several well
known strategies to get a partner.
One of the first strategies is to
engage men who do not have children of their own. This allows the woman
to portray the semblance of having and raising a kid is easy and there
will always be a balance between their relationship with their partner
and their child. Sometimes they will portray themselves as helpless
victims, victimized by an evil and absent father – they need saving and
you can save them. Another popular scheme is to make themselves look
accomplished and together by extending their debt to ridiculous levels
to portray they are all right and don’t really need a partner. There are
quite a few more, but like I said, this is a rough guide.
One of the strategies is to involve
the child with the prospective “partner” almost right away and foster a
relationship between the man and her child. This allows a lot of
leverage on several levels as time goes by. It allows for huge amount of
guilt and shame if the man wants to break off the relationship, allows a
bonding to take place that is hard to shuck off and other factors... You
will hear phrases such as “any man who loves me must love my children!”
etc…All designed to appeal to a man’s sense of chivalry and protection.
This hopefully facilitates a sense of belonging together and in the end
marriage.
Most single men are unaware of what
is going on when they start to date a single mom. It seems that the
child is around, but it is pleasant, there is a clear distinction
between adult and child time etc… it seems actually for most men, not a
bad time at all. This allows the single mom to get the man closer and
farther into the relationship.
What is really going on is a
shit-load of help from the single mom’s friends and other helpers. Tons
of babysitting services, tips on dating, comparing notes and plans etc…
No matter what you see as a man there is something else going on – do
not forget that. Her plan is to eventually get a partner one way or
another. You are the prize and she is going to earn it.
One trait that seems to come to the
forefront with most men who are dating single moms is just how wonderful
a woman they really are. Most men cannot for the life of them figure out
why another man would abandon a woman like her. It has been stated hat
single moms are more caring, compassionate, great lovers, excellent
cooks, laugh at all your jokes etc…they seem to be ideal mates.
What is actually going on is well
planned and orchestrated strategies to get a man into a relationship. I
don’t know how many men have loudly complained that after marriage they
were suddenly now doing most of the cooking, cleaning, and repairing
around the house with zero time like they had before. I don’t know how
many have said it was like night and day after they moved in. The kind
compassionate woman the men met had somehow now been replaced by a truly
different woman; it was like another personality type than the one they
married. In short a single mom knows she has to work harder to get a man
and she will work harder, but for many the act cannot last that long and
the real woman reveals herself. Usually his occurs just after marriage.
A lot of men though go for it and
involve themselves in marriage with a single mom and do not really know
some of the problems they will encounter. Here is a short list of
several common problems that begin to creep up:
1. Being a “partner” means you get
to pay for half- if not more. I have noticed after marriage a single mom
works at dizzying speed to make sure her man’s name is on all of the
bills. She also will usually demand money also for a huge amount of her
child’s expenses. It is also expressed as a part of “loving her and
showing it”. I have seen men putting money away for college for a kid
that’s not his. Buying ridiculous amounts of brand name clothes,
expensive homes etc… all in an effort to be in a so-called “family”.
2. The Family you just got into is
by invitation only. In most traditional marriages that produce children,
the man, woman and child or children make up the basic family unit. In
being a step- parent you are not the basic unit. The mother and child
together are the basic unit. You are invited in and can be un-invited
whenever mom feels it to be so. No matter what is said or mentioned
before marriage, you will never come before her child. You will always
be in a family and relationship where you come second, maybe third.
3. No matter what you think… her ex
is going to be there forever. In just about every case the child’s
father does not seem to be in the picture during the dating and
courtship stage but seems to suddenly show up after. The reality is he
was always there, your partner just never mentioned it…. The father will
most naturally want to have a relationship with his child and he is
going to be quite involved most of the time. Just about every time you
will be dragged into the endless bickering and fights they have and you
will not be liked by him…it's only natural remember… also be sure to
take into account the grandparents, uncles and aunts and all the family
functions you will be attending with him, his child, his ex (your
partner) and his side of the family. Get used to being uncomfortable.
4. Her kid will most likely not like
you very much. Let’s face it you’re sleeping with their mom and most of
the time the child will see you as a roadblock to his parents getting
back together. Most likely the mom has made you the giver of discipline
in the relationship, being the man and all…which results in the kid
hating you. Or after watching the child run amok for weeks after you
arrive you change juniors’ schedule to include some discipline and then
you also hated even more. An amazing amount of men involved with single
mothers report how the child hates them, but he can keep buying gifts to
try to win their affection. Some call it the ATM effect of diminishing
returns.
5. All that time you had together
with your new love will end after marriage. The number one job of a
single mom is simply to be a mom. She is not a party girl, hiker,
camper, biker, clubber etc… Just be prepared for a frontal assault on
your time and money after marriage. You will find your weekdays taken up
with homework, PTA meetings, suppers at home, and early bed times.
Weekends will be the time for the child’s extra-curricular activities
and other activities. If a single man is wondering what happens ask any
father of children how their time is spent, it will not be on hobbies.
You will hear endlessly the phrase “we are a family now and this is what
a family does” of course your idea on family will differ…but it is her
family and she will make the choices.
6. You will wonder what happened to
all your money. Most men involved with a single mom report that their
money seems to dry up. Children are expensive- expensive like most men
have no idea. Between school supplies, clothing, vast amounts of food,
babysitters if you ever want to go out, medications, fees, sports,
supplies, toys and such… well, there will be little left.
As a footnote there is also another
ploy by some single moms that men also forget about. The child’s father
is paying for a lot of these things. Quite a few men have reported that
their wife or girlfriend was getting them to pay for such things as
sport fees, equipment, university funds, school supplies and such but at
the same time getting the child’s father to pay for these things also.
Double billing, also called fraud, is quite common but it does allow the
single mom to have almost zero expenses for her child as two men are now
paying for junior….
Another ploy that is quite horrific
was a man whose wife owned a home and he moved in with her and her
child. Although he fixed it up, paid half the mortgage and expenses- she
had willed the home to her children. When confronted she said since she
would be dead she did not care if he had a home or not, her child came
first. So be careful with matters of money. Very careful.
7. You will never really be accepted.
I have observed time and time again the heartbreak of a step parent as
the child gets older. After putting them through school, providing a
place to live, food, getting the child all kinds of gifts and honestly
really caring about the child and such I keep hearing this one story
over and over. The time comes for a grad or a wedding, the step parent
thinks he might be lauded for his sacrifices but instead is shunted to a
back seat or not invited as the child invites mom and dad to the party…and
thanks them for all their love and work. Usually there is not even an
acknowledgement of effort.
8. You will now be part of the
single moms’ network. Be prepared to help out all her buddies as they
helped her out. Endless weekends and nights of babysitting the other
single moms kids so that they too may date and get a man. You will also
discover why 75% of all people in jail come from single mother
households. Try not to have any expensive items around…
9. Now that the single mom is now
married she will need to impress her single mom friends with her new
found happiness. Her happiness will usually include a new home in a good
neighborhood, new clothing, new items for the home, new car etc… there
is an unwritten law it seems among a lot of single moms that they
compete ruthlessly with their friends. If she does get married she needs
to show them her new found prestige. Be prepared for huge new expenses.
10. You will have no time for errors.
A lot of single men get involved with the single mom and her kids when
the child is a bit older. Being inexperienced with children becomes a
huge burden as the single man has no time to learn parenting skills…and
mistakes are not readily forgiven nor forgotten when a kid is 4 compared
to 14.
11. You may think it ends, but it
never does. I know many men whose single mom wife promised them a
completely different life after junior turned 18 or so. At the beginning
of the relationship it looked like just a few years and then total
privacy and freedom. Then years later they found out that junior is
going to go to university for 6 years after taking a gap year off and
not worry about a job as he will live at home. After that the story
usually is that the child gets married and has kids and needs a ton of
babysitting services. The dream of trips abroad, moving to a nicer place
etc… evaporates for most men. They just wind up being early grandparents.
The other option that happens a lot is the girls have children early and
stay at home. Not only is the man taking care of his wife’s child he
also has to care for her grandchild now!
12. You will have nothing to show
for it. In the end when most men have their own children the work and
effort is well worth it. The men did their best and raised a family,
continued a line, get grandchildren…etc… As a step-parent you have
contributed as much but you have nothing. Nobody carries on your name
and most men realize they are not even ever thanked for their sacrifice.