Introducing your children to your new partner can be difficult. An added wrinkle emerges when you are dating someone online, and even more if you have yet to meet the man or woman in person. Yet, there are some certain ways that you can successfully introduce your online dating to your kids and be met with acceptance. Here are several things to keep in mind when setting up the first meeting.
Tell Your Children That You Are Seeing Someone
The first thing that you should do when you are preparing to introduce your kids to your online date is tell them that you are seeing someone. Since you are dating someone online, you are not going to have the benefit of your child seeing them around your place. That might make them more prone to thinking that you and your first partner are going to get back together again. That is something that you cannot have happen or it could disrupt your child’s conceptualization of you moving on and finding a new partner.
Explain that You Have Known Each Other for a While
You will also need to explain to your child that this is not the first time that you are meeting your partner. Tell your children how you met them online and that you have been communicating for some time before just bringing them around. That will help your kids in two ways. First and foremost, it helps them understand that you are not going to bring people home without getting to know them some, which is surprisingly important for older kids. Also, this tells your children that you have given this action some thought and have acted, at least somewhat, on their behalf.
Have Your Children and Your Date Meet in Person
There are a lot of ways that you will want to have your children and your date meet, but it is critical for them to meet in person. You don’t want to parade your kids in front of people on the internet for one thing, but you will also need them to meet in person to make it “real” for your children. Someone popping up on the screen might not have the same impact as meeting someone in person, and when you are trying to bring a new date into your life, then you are going to want it to mean something. Whether it is taking your young kids out on a date or going to a sit-down dinner with your teenagers, it’s important to have all the parties together in one place to get to know each other.
Ask Your Child for Feedback
After your child has met with your date, it is important to get feedback. You don’t want to let your child dictate who you date, but if there are red flags that you’re not seeing it might be worth looking into. You want to ensure that your date and your kids are going to respect each other at worst and like each other at best. Basically, hear out your children on the issue and then think about what you’ve learned from them; just asking them will be seen as a sign of maturity for their part!
It’s possible for you to successfully introduce you children to your online dating partner. By being open and honest with your kids about your dating activities, working them into your life, and asking your children for their take, you will be able to provide an open forum for discussion about the date. Once you have met someone using a romantic dating site like Tendermeets.com, you will have an easy time meeting someone that you can’t wait to introduce to your kids.
