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Posts Tagged ‘dating after divorce’

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My Summer of Zero Dates

In dating, dating advice, divorce, Uncategorized on August 9, 2017 at 2:33 am

I decided at some point that this was going to be my summer of zero dates.

Well, mostly.

I was online and on apps a lot. I had more first dates in a two month period than I had in my entire life, and I was always a pretty active dater. Nothing disastrous had happened. Nothing traumatic. I just felt as if the dating had become a chore.

For most people, casual conversation with a “mostly” stranger like the dates you have online are difficult. For me, I could talk to anyone…really. The janitor. The CEO. The three-year old child. The eighty-year old guy with Dementia on the subway. Conversing with dates was a breeze.

I met interesting people…and not so interesting people. Some were a little crazy while others were perfectly fine.

None gave me a tingle or spark. None made me say, let’s take this to the next level.

And hey, when you are divorced and dating, we all know how tough that can be.

Juggling your schedules around the kids…if you’ve both got them or you or your date is a parent.

Trusting someone after perhaps some intense trust fails from an ex.

Revealing parts of yourself and being vulnerable after watching a marriage fail.

Dating after divorce is an intricate dance, and one that I had committed to carrying out, from the beginning intro the final curtsy, but before summer had even dropped its hot humid temperatures on the East Coast, I was just done.

Not bitter. Not jaded.

Just bored.

Read More: My Summer of Zero Dates

A Little Break,

Laura

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10 Expert Dating Tips After Divorce

In dating advice, divorce on January 9, 2017 at 3:20 am

Dating after divorce. Ah. When my ex and I first separated, it felt exciting to date and also, a bit like dodging bullets. While it wasn’t a whole new world — I had obviously dated before — it was still a new playing field and I came into dating differently this time, than I had before marriage.

Heed these expert dating tips offered to you by myself and Jason McClain — speaker, mentor, and life coach — before you go off into the wild yonder of dating after divorce. It’s better to have some wise advice under your belt in order to avoid unnecessary strife and heartache.

1. Get Out Those Old Ugly Feelings:

Jason McClain, urges you to reach out before dating and spend time with a good counselor or best friend to air out your feelings. Does either individual believe you are ready to date again? Ask for an honest answer.

From my perspective, there is nothing worse than sitting on a date with someone who is still angry, hurting, or messed-up over a former spouse. It’s very off-putting and instantly feels like the person needs therapy, and not romance.

Read More: 10 Expert Dating Tips After Divorce

Are You Ready?

Laura

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Do NOT Date Before the Divorce Is Finalized Until You Consider These Important Factors

In dating, dating advice, divorce, divorce advice on July 31, 2016 at 2:03 am

You’re separated from your soon-to-be-former spouse, and now you’re wondering: is it acceptable for me to date? 

I wish I had an easy yes or no answer for you, but each situation is different. Some people may be available to date easily, and others? Not so much. There is one thing I can say with absolute certainty on the subject and that is this: whether you are divorcing with kids, without kids, or have been married a long time or simply a few years, no one is ready to be serious with ANYONE right after a separation.

Sure, you could be ready to have fun, have sex, and casually date, but you are no one’s Mrs. Right until you have taken time to assess yourself, your failed marriage, and where you are going in life. Not to mention, you need to heal. You may feel completely over someone, but the fact is it takes time to unravel yourself from a marriage.

Here are some indicators/rules you can go by to determine whether you are ready to casually date vs. whether you are not ready to casually date.

Read More: Do NOT Date Before the Divorce Is Finalized Until You Consider These Important Factors

It’s Not the Smartest Move,

Laura

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The 5 Toxic People You Will Meet While Dating After Divorce

In divorce, divorce advice on March 17, 2016 at 5:22 pm

Watch out!

Love with caution.

Dating after divorce is tough territory and it needs to be done right and it can be, as long as you use common sense, date when you are truly ready, and avoid getting your heart invested with the wrong people.

Here are 5 toxic people you will meet in your love journey. Please be sure to avoid them at all costs. Thank me later.

1. The Hornball with Charm
This usually pertains to women dating after divorce.

The Hornball is sowing every single one of his oats as quickly and as often as he can.

He is injured emotionally from his divorce, or is a lifelong bachelor that can’t help but “taste the variety.”

He is vicious and you are vulnerable. Watch out!

Read More: The 5 Toxic People You Will Meet While Dating After Divorce

You’ve Been Warned,

Laura

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Dating Sites and Apps for Single Working Moms—a Roundup

In dating, dating advice, single mom, single parent life on February 29, 2016 at 9:38 pm

You’re single, you’re a mom, you have a job—and you want to date. Me too. So before you tell me it’s impossible, I offer you this: Anything is possible! I know, I know, the logistics of dating as a solo parent who’s working to provide for her family can get tough. I’m right there in the trenches online and on apps, looking for love and, mostly, looking to stay out of trouble. Sometimes it seems I’m swimming in a very shallow dating pool, but I haven’t given up and taken in fifty cats. Yet.

So here’s the “downlow” on dating sites I’ve tried as a SWM (single working mother). You should try too. And remember: You can do it at home, at night after the kids go to bed, in your jammies if you want.

Phone Apps

Tinder
Pros: Tinder is quick and easy. You set it up through your Facebook account and set your preferences within minutes. You won’t waste time filling out large forms and questionnaires, and your pictures are right there on Facebook. (Caveat: Don’t use photos of you with your kids or of them alone, for their safety. You never know.) Searching for matches is super simple. Once you’ve set age and distance preferences, you start swiping. A simple swipe left and dreamguy is gone forever; a simple swipe right, and he could end up a match for life!

Read More: Dating Sites and Apps for Single Working Moms—a Roundup

Give it A Shot,

Laura

 

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What It’s Like to Have Too Much to Offer As A Divorced Woman

In dating, divorce, love, single mom on February 19, 2016 at 9:50 pm

I used to think that I wasn’t good enough. Mainly because of late tween and teenage experiences that bled into more colorful but not so great experiences in my early-twenties. And then furthermore, being married to someone who loved me based on conditions and not on who I was. Someone that could give up and someone that didn’t seem to see the best in me, even though I was trying my best. Perhaps he was too.

Now I know I am good enough. I have much to offer. A stable career. A blooming career. The ambition of a billion men and (wo)men. The spirit and energy of a teenager. The friendliness of a Labrador Retriever. A healthy child. Great friends. Two parents who tolerate me. Wink.

I’m fit and healthy. I have a good work-life balance although yes, I am rather busy. I make friends with strangers. I am open and not bitter. I am not the least bit grieving my divorce.

Yet somehow I end up feeling as if I have “too much” to offer someone that often dates, back off or never happen.

Guys worry: Are you judging my grammar? ( I am a writer after all.)

You write about sex? Wow. Intimidating.

Read More: What It’s Like to Have Too Much to Offer As A Divorced Woman

Strong & Tall (Well, In Spirit),

Laura

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Single on Valentine’s Day? Who Cares!

In dating, divorce, relationships, romance, Single Life on February 3, 2016 at 4:23 pm

Hi, my name is Laura and I am single on Valentine’s Day.
When I enter any store or public location, I am harassed and dazzled with hearts of pink and red and chocolate boxes and cards for people of all ages.
When I go to the store, my daughter points out all the Valentine’s Day candy she sees because apparently to four year-old’s, every holiday is a celebration of chocolate and gifts…upon them.
Truly, it is though.
I am Laura, and I am almost divorced, separated for almost two whole years and am completely and utterly single.
When I go to websites and social media outlets, retargeting ads hit me saying “Buy this sexy lingerie” or “Indulge in the taste of sweet chocolates.”
I am Laura, and I have gone on a bunch of dates and had not one real boyfriend (minus one guy who got really close) in the time I have been separated.

Read More: Single on Valentine’s Day? Who Cares!

As One & Happy,

Laura

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9 Brutal Truths About Dating In Your Late Thirties

In dating, dating advice, divorce, love, relationships, Single Life on January 12, 2016 at 7:04 pm

There you are, ready for love in your late thirties, yet you’re either entering the dating world after a big breakup/divorce or you’re the last of your friends to be married off. It can be discouraging, and everyone tells you, “Oh, you’re still so young. You’ll find love!” But it seems like you’d have a better shot at winning the lottery than finding the right match.

Don’t give up, though. Giving up is for quitters and you aren’t a quitter. Love is out there for everyone at any age, whether you’re fifteen or eighty-five. But here are some harsh realities of dating in your late thirties that you need to know, if you don’t already.

  1. You feel like a time bomb if you don’t have kids already.

If you want kids and still have none, you feel like your ovaries are ready to explode. They’re not, but each date seems heavier than the last. Is this the one? you find yourself thinking. It’s hard to not feel the pull of biology and hormones.

Read More: 9 Brutal Truths About Dating In Your Late Thirties

Can You Handle the Truth,

Laura

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Why Single Moms Should Date Single Dads

In dating, dating advice, divorce, love, relationships, romance, sex, single dad, single mom, single parent life on January 6, 2016 at 4:39 pm

I am a lazy dater. By lazy, I mean I don’t put in the real effort required to make online dating work. As a single mom, I should cut myself some slack. I have a lot of other things on my plate and to be completely honest, I love how my life is going as of now. I love my friends, kid, work, and social life — OK, so some weekend nights, I’m stumped on whom to go out with if I am kid-free — so why complicate it with a man? Enough said.

But of course, the idea of romance and love still appeals to me. The idea of intense online dating? It does NOT appeal to me. The reality is if you want to succeed with online dating, you’ve got to go out with a plethora of frogs to meet any potential partner, and right now, I have taken a slight back seat to swiping left and right and mindlessly texting guys who I will probably never meet. When I get a match whom I am not crazy over, I decide to not meet him and, instead, go see friends.

Read More: Why Single Moms Should Date Single Dads

Give a Dad a Chance,

Laura

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The Other Woman Who Snuggles My Daughter

In divorce, single dad, single mom, single parent life on December 27, 2015 at 4:12 pm

“I wanted blood.I wanted to take her and toss her into the ocean and never look back again.”

Parenting after divorce has its heartaches that no one may ever whisper aloud, until now.

Read my essay in the New York Times.

Trying to Have Faith and Believe More Love is a Good Thing,

Laura