Being a parent is hard, there are few who are going to dispute that. For many, doing it without being able to coparent can be even harder. This can make dating as a single parent even more of a challenge than it would be otherwise, because the kids have to come first, no matter what. Often, it is difficult for a potential partner to accept that.

At the same time, some single parents have a nasty habit of taking for granted that any love interest who comes into their lives will happily and quickly take on a large role in their child’s life, which could be considered inappropriate. Free childcare is difficult to come by, and there are those people out there who consider a romantic partner to be the perfect stand-in for this. If it’s truly a mutual agreement, this isn’t always a bad thing, but frequently, this isn’t the case.