When a Single Mom Introduces the Boyfriend to Her Kid 

Well, I did it. More than two months after my first date with the Biologist, I introduced him to Mae.

As you might recall, I’d uninvited the Biologist from our East egg hunt — after Mae said that she didn’t want to meet him. All of you were so helpful with your advice.

Amy from My Three Blogs responded to my plea for the when-and-how:” There is no answer. It’s organic. If you keep the lines of communication open between all of you… then you will know when it’s right.”

As every week passed, Mae kept asking questions (”Where are you going, Mommy?” and “Who are you going with?”). I let her know that she could meet the Biologist whenever it felt right. Then, after I suggested that we could go out for a post-birthday ice cream treat (as in, “This is all about you, sweetie”), she jumped up and down.

I was trying not to laugh when The Biologist called me that morning: “I don’t know why,” he said. “But I’ve never been this nervous about meeting an eight-year-old.”

Remember: he has never dated a single mom. He’s immersed in academia and doesn’t really know any single moms.

Thank goodness he has all of you single mama bloggers out there. He tells me that he often browses single mom blogs for advice. I told him to just “be yourself.”

When he came to the door, Mae was shy for about 10 minutes, and that was that. I drove us to her favorite ice cream parlor, where she and The Biologist both ordered mango ice cream — but Mae got marshmallow fluff on top.

Things got out of control, however, when Mae got a hold of her “Whoopee Cushion” — a birthday present, not from me. First, Mae proceeded to explain to the Biologist how loudly The Israeli (my ex-boyfriend) used to fart. (I did my best to keep a straight face.) Then, she asked the Biologist to stand up, and she tried to distract him as she put the “Whoopee Cushion” on his chair.

Let’s just say that there was never a dull moment after that.

Single Minded Women interviewed Max Sindell, a recent college grad who wrote The Bright Side: Surviving Your Parents Divorce for young readers. Max advices single parents to “explain to your kids that you are going to be dating….No surprises.”

Max didn’t meet any of his Mom’s boyfriends until it was “more serious.” He added: “My mom was also great about asking for and respecting my opinion.”

If you have any The Kid Meets My Date stories, do share! I can’t wait to hear them.