You want to meet my kids? Really?
by Dating Dad, Brian Gallagher
Your dating life has moved along and you both think that you arekeepers. But you haven't met his kids yet and it begins to dawn onyou that he may be a great guy on his own and the IDEA that he haskids makes him responsible and ready for committment but the thoughtof SEEING him with his kids makes you feel you'll get pushed aside.Fear not, good lady, this is not the case at all. You are about tomeet his pride and joy and the kids are about to meet dad's pride andjoy. This meeting is more for him than it is for you. It is hischance to show his kids that there is a woman that is a great fit forhim and that could bring a level of joy to all of their lives.
Now, will this meeting always be a fun and festive time? No, probablynot. So what do you do if they are giving you the cold shoulder orare acting up? My best advice is to just keep smiling. It throwskids off when they know they aren't getting to you. Let the singledad defend you. You just need to keep smiling showing all the gracethat you've been granted and repeat in your head that you are datingthis man for a reason. That reason is that he is a good man and agreat father. Give him an opportunity to show you what great kids hehas and let him show the kids what a great lady he has in his life.
After the initial meeting you and the dating dad need to sit down andtalk about it. He'll probably gather comments from his kids in thesubsequent days and he should share them with you and you should beopen to the positive and the negative comments. You should also bevery honest with him at this point. If you aren't feeling the wholekid thing...you should trust your gut. Some people say "Oh, you'llget used to the kids." Yeah, you might. You also might not. Thereis no reason to allow the kids to get attached to you if you don'tbelieve you'll ever get attached to them. I can say from experiencethat it is easier for me to get over a woman than it is for my kids todo the same.
Embrace the opportunity. Enjoy the moment. Be honest. The benefitsof a dating dad go way beyond just his time and affection.