Your friends, your parents, and most dating experts might advise you to stay far away from a guy who has kids. However, I feel like one woman’s baby daddy is another woman’s treasure, and you should definitely give that guy who’s already made the journey into parenthood a shot—here’s why.
- Things will move at a more natural pace. If he’s playing an active role in his children’s lives, you can forget about spending days on end with him when you first meet. His schedule will be jam-packed with picking up the kids, dropping off the kids, taking the kids to their music lessons, and so on. Now, this might seem like you’ll be getting into a relationship with a guy who has no time for you, but that’s not the case. Because he’ll be so busy with his daddy duties, it’ll force your relationship to slow down a bit, allowing you to grow together as a couple at a slow and steady pace.
- You’ll know he’s serious when he introduces you to his kids. With a childless guy, you can never be too sure when he considers your relationship to be serious. When you date a guy who has kids, you’ll know that your relationship’s heading in the right direction when you finally meet the kiddos. He doesn’t just introduce anyone to his little ones, so once you get the proper introduction, his intentions and how he really feels about you will be crystal clear.
- You get instant bonus kids—how cool is that? If you don’t have kids of your own, what better way to get some practice than to forge a relationship with your bonus children? Of course they have a mother of their own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a loving bond with them as well. And who knows, you might just find that being a step-mom is something you really enjoy!
- You’ll cherish every moment you spend together. When he’s not busy parenting, the time the two of you spend together will be more precious. Because he’ll likely be short on time when you see him, you won’t waste the day bickering about stupid things or just lounging around the house doing nothing. He’ll make sure that every date and each encounter is magical and memorable.
- He’ll be less superficial. He’s probably used to his ex helping with a lot of the household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Now that he’s back in the dating world, he may instinctively look for a woman who can fill that role, and that woman may very well be you. No, that doesn’t mean he’s desperate and he’ll literally hook up with anyone just so he can have a hot dinner waiting for him when he gets home from work. It simply means he won’t be so fixated on your looks and your body. Instead, he’ll be looking even deeper to explore your morals, your values, and how’ll you’ll integrate yourself into his ready-made family. That’s a win for you! A guy who doesn’t expect you to look like a knockout 24/7 is a keeper, in my opinion.
- Family vacations are so much fun. You’ve probably heard horror stories from other parents on what it’s like to travel with kids, but depending on how old his children are, your vacation might turn out to be the most fun you’ve had in a long time! Family vacations are all about fun, kid- and adult-friendly resorts and activities that everyone can enjoy. You won’t believe how exciting it can be to relieve your childhood with your guy and his children!
- He’s a natural nurturer. He’s probably changed diapers, placed band-aids on bloody knees, and rocked ill children to sleep more times than he can remember. This means he’ll be just as nurturing, patient, and kind when it comes to you too!
- He probably won’t ghost you. A guy with a kid isn’t out to play games. He’s dealing with way too much on his plate than to string you along or ghost you out of the blue. This isn’t to say all guys with kids are great and that there aren’t a few jerks out there. I’m sure there are more than a few bad apples in the bunch, but if he’s really a devoted dad and you’ve already met his kids, the chances of him poofing into thin air are slim to none. Not only will you be a part of his life, you’ll be a part of his children’s lives too, and he’d never introduce them to you if he planned on leaving you in the dust.
- His co-parenting skills will come in handy. You’re probably cringing at the thought of meeting his kids’ mom one day. However, there’s a bright side to all of this: You’ll get to see how he interacts with his former flame, and his co-parenting skills might actually help to better your relationship too. Raising children with his ex means he’s probably a pro at communicating his wants and needs and he knows how to compromise. Those are all wonderful traits that also make for a great boyfriend!
- He’s more mature. Parenthood is a huge responsibility, and if you’re planning on dating a guy with kids, just know that he’s likely way more mature than other childless guys his age. A guy with kids will have to deal with many tough situations that cause him to grow up and be more mature. So, if you’re looking for someone who’s responsible and has a lot of life experience, a single dad is the right guy for you!