Dating people with kids is often more of a challenge than dating those without, because yours are not the only opinions that matter. The fact is that for a blended family to work, everybody has to be accepting of the new dynamic. Most children are not going to immediately warm to a parent dating somebody new, especially if their other parent has passed. It is not an easy sell, even if the relationship is otherwise perfect. 

The harsh reality is that if you are dating someone with children who don’t like you, that is probably going to be a dealbreaker for a relationship. It can be remarkably hard to get kids to change their minds with this kind of thing unless there is some kind of intervention that works a miracle. 

While it is often what the adults in these situations are hoping for, they are rare, and more often than not, agreeing to a higher level of commitment with a partner without the blessing of the children just creates more problems.