CFAvsMBA's PSA - Single Moms

As I sit down with a stiff Jack and Coke, I thought I would chum up a rough guide for men thinking about starting a relationship with a single mom and what some of the ramifications are of dating and entering into a deeper relationship with a single mom could be. Of course this guide does not apply to all women or all men but it will list the main problems I have observed through over the years. Contrary to popular media-myth I have yet to meet a single mom who was career driven, carefree, balanced, and happy; doing it all type gal as often portrayed in most media outlets. The reality I have seen over the years is usually a stressed out, overworked, debt stricken woman who really had no idea children cost so much in time, effort and money. Their careers are on hold as they need to balance their child with sickness, school activities versus moving up whatever career ladder they are on. Most single moms are raising their children with help of an extended family member (usually their mom), a bevy of friends and other single moms they find in support groups. It is usually not a pretty picture at all. Somewhere along the way, usually quite quickly they come up with the idea that they need a partner to help them in their new enterprise of having a child and the sooner they can get one the better. Realizing they have a bit of a disadvantage with having a child and being in the dating scene they resort to several well known strategies to get a partner. One of the first strategies is to engage men who do not have children of their own. This allows the woman to portray the semblance of having and raising a kid is easy and there will always be a balance between their relationship with their partner and their child. Sometimes they will portray themselves as helpless victims, victimized by an evil and absent father" they need saving and you can save them. Another popular scheme is to make themselves look accomplished and together by extending their debt to ridiculous levels to portray they are all right and don’t really need a partner. There are quite a few more, but like I said, this is a rough guide. One of the strategies is to involve the child with the prospective partner almost right away and foster a relationship between the man and her child. This allows a lot of leverage on several levels as time goes by. It allows for huge amount of guilt and shame if the man wants to break off the relationship, allows a bonding to take place that is hard to shuck off and other factors. You will hear phrases such as “Any man who loves me must love my children.” And so forth. All of it designed to appeal to a man’s sense of chivalry and protection. This hopefully facilitates a sense of belonging together and in the end marriage. Most single men are unaware of what is going on when they start to date a single mom. It seems that the child is around, but it is pleasant, there is a clear distinction between adult and child time etc it seems actually for most men, not a bad time at all. This allows the single mom to get the man closer and farther into the relationship.

What is really going on is a shit-load of help from the single mom’s friends and other helpers. Tons of babysitting services, tips on dating, comparing notes, plans, and so forth. No matter what you see as a man there is something else going on, do not forget that. Her plan is to eventually get a partner one way or another. You are the prize and she is going to earn it. One trait that seems to come to the forefront with most men who are dating single moms is just how wonderful a woman they really are. Most men cannot for the life of them figure out why another man would abandon a woman like her. It has been stated that single moms are more caring, compassionate, great lovers, excellent cooks, laugh at all your jokes and appear to be ideal mates. What is actually going on is well planned and orchestrated strategies to get a man into a relationship. I don’t know how many men have loudly complained that after marriage they were suddenly now doing most of the cooking, cleaning, and repairing around the house with zero time like they had before. I don’t know how many have said it was like night and day after they moved in. The kind compassionate woman the men met had somehow now been replaced by a truly different woman; it was like another personality type than the one they married. In short, a single mom knows she has to work harder to get a man and she will work harder, but for many the act cannot last that long and the real woman reveals herself. Usually his occurs just after marriage. A lot of men though go for it and involve themselves in marriage with a single mom and do not really know some of the problems they will encounter. Here is a short list of several common problems that begin to creep up: 1. Being a partner means you get to pay for half- if not more. I have noticed after marriage a single mom works at dizzying speed to make sure her man’s name is on all of the bills. She also will usually demand money also for a huge amount of her child’s expenses. It is also expressed as a part of loving her and showing it. I have seen men putting money away for college for a kid that’s not his. Buying ridiculous amounts of brand name clothes, expensive homes, and so forth all in an effort to be in a so-called family. 2. The Family you just got into is by invitation only. In most traditional marriages that produce children, the man, woman and child or children make up the basic family unit. In being a step- parent you are not the basic unit. The mother and child together is the basic unit. You are invited in and can be un-invited whenever mom feels it to be so. No matter what is said or mentioned before marriage, you will never come before her child. You will always be in a family and relationship where you come second, maybe third. 3. No matter what you think, her ex is going to be there forever. In just about every case, the child’s father does not seem to be in the picture during the dating and courtship stage, but seems to suddenly show up after. The reality is he was always there, your partner just never mentioned it. The father will most naturally want to have a relationship with his child, and he is going to be quite involved most of the time. Just about every time you will be dragged into the endless bickering and fights they have and you will not be liked by him; it’s only natural. Remember also be sure to take into account the grandparents, uncles and aunts and all the family functions you will be attending with him, his child, his ex (your partner) and his side of the family. Get used to being uncomfortable. 4. Her kid will most likely not like you very much. Let’s face it, you’re sleeping with their mom and most of the time the child will see you as a roadblock to his parents getting back together. Most likely the mom has made you the giver of discipline in the relationship, being the man and all, which results in the kid hating you. Or after watching the child run amok for weeks after you arrive, you change juniors schedule to include some discipline and then you also hated even more. An amazing amount of men involved with single mothers report how the child hates them, but he can keep buying gifts to try to win their affection. Some call it the ATM effect of diminishing returns. 5. All that time you had together with your new love will end after marriage. The number one job of a single mom is simply to be a mom. She is not a party girl, hiker, camper, biker, clubber etc. Just be prepared for a frontal assault on your time and money after marriage. You will find your weekdays taken up with homework, PTA meetings, suppers at home, and early bed times. Weekends will be the time for the child’s extra-curricular activities and other activities. If a single man is wondering what happens, ask any father of children how their time is spent, it will not be on hobbies. You will hear endlessly the phrase we are a family now and this is what a family does, of course your idea on family will different, but it is her family and she will make the choices. 6. You will wonder what happened to all your money. Most men involved with a single mom report that their money seems to dry up. Children are expensive- expensive like most men have no idea. Between school supplies, clothing, vast amounts of food, babysitters if you ever want to go out, medications, fees, sports, supplies, toys and such well, there will be little left. As a footnote there is also another ploy by some single moms that men also forget about. The child’s father is paying for a lot of these things. Quite a few men have reported that their wife or girlfriend was getting them to pay for such things as sport fees, equipment, university funds, school supplies and such but at the same time getting the child’s father to pay for these things also. Double billing, also called fraud, is quite common but it does allow the single mom to have almost zero expenses for her child as two men are now paying for juniors.

Another ploy that is quite horrific was a man whose wife owned a home and he moved in with her and her child. Although he fixed it up, paid half the mortgage and expenses- she had willed the home to her children. When confronted she said since she would be dead she did not care if he had a home or not, her child came first. So be careful with matters of money. Very careful. 7. You will never really be accepted. I have observed time and time again the heartbreak of a step parent as the child gets older. After putting them through school, providing a place to live, food, getting the child all kinds of gifts and honestly really caring about the child and such I keep hearing this one story over and over. The time comes for a grad or a wedding, the step parent thinks he might be lauded for his sacrifices but instead is shunted to a back seat or not invited as the child invites mom and dad to the party and thanks them for all their love and work. Usually there is not even an acknowledgement of effort. 8. You will now be part of the single mom’s network. Be prepared to help out all her buddies as they helped her out. Endless weekends and nights of babysitting the other single moms kids so that they too may date and get a man. You will also discover why 75% of all people in jail come from single mother households. Try not to have any expensive items around. 9. Now that the single mom is now married she will need to impress her single mom friends with her new found happiness. Her happiness will usually include a new home in a good neighborhood, new clothing, new items for the home, new car etc. There is an unwritten law it seems among a lot of single moms that they compete ruthlessly with their friends. If she does get married, she needs to show them her new found prestige. Be prepared for huge new expenses. 10. You will have no time for errors. A lot of single men get involved with the single mom and her kids when the child is a bit older. Being inexperienced with children becomes a huge burden as the single man has no time to learn parenting skills and mistakes are not readily forgiven nor forgotten when a kid is 4 compared to 14. 11. You may think it ends, but it never does. I know many men whose single mom wife promised them a completely different life after junior turned 18 or so. At the beginning of the relationship it looked like just a few years and then total privacy and freedom. Then years later they found out that junior is going to go to university for 6 years after taking a gap year off and not worry about a job as he will live at home. After that the story usually is that the child gets married and has kids and needs a ton of babysitting services. The dream of trips abroad, moving to a nicer place evaporates for most men. They just wind up being early grandparents. The other option that happens a lot is the girls have children early and stay at home. Not only is the man taking care of his wife’s child he also has to care for her grandchild now! 12. You will have nothing to show for it. In the end when most men have their own children the work and effort is well worth it. The men did their best and raised a family, continued a line, get grandchildren etc… As a step-parent you have contributed as much but you have nothing. Nobody carries on your name and most men realize they are not even ever thanked for their sacrifice. 13. The legalities can kill you. There have been numerous cases where a man has divorced or left a single mom and then found himself liable financially for her child. Although not the father he will be responsible for child payments, extra fees and most certainly university far after they are 18 check the laws out, it’s a raw deal. Couple that with some alimony and you get the whole effect of being a divorced and homeless dad with not one child of your own.

In the end women have asked for their freedom to make their own choices now for decades. I would advise all single men to let single moms make their choice of having a child by themselves and then live with it. Don’t involve yourself with these women under any circumstances. It can be in many ways, the death of a man. Well it’s a rough guide and you were warned. Posters note: Generalizations can often be attacked for being too broad, but I’ve personally have seen most of this behavior myself. The other end of the spectrum is single mothers are victims of men, victims of a “cruel” society and victims of stereotyping. The “noble, self-sacrificing” single mother victim portrayed in today’s media is a person I’ve rarely met. Besides, the government sure helps these women raise their children, almost becoming the child’s father in a sick, twisted kind of way. Does anyone really think raising a child on your own is EVER a good thing? And yet, a lot of woman are choosing to do just that, and then whining/crying about how hard it is. No sympathy from me. The notion that it takes a “real” man to raise a child not biologically their own is so completely a product of feminist conditioning it’s laughable. Is a women whom raises a child not biologically their own a real “women?” Why not? If you are a single mother and disagree with any and/or all of this post, then instead of attacking me, which most of you will do, then attack the post. Tell us why it and any of its points are wrong or do not pertain to you.

Cliff notes?

I’m guessing you are in your 40s brah but you should never date single moms. Ever. I only get involved with women that are self-sufficient. I could give a sh*t how much she makes but she has to be able to live a sustainable life independently. And there are a ton of zips in the CA Bay Area. I call them “loser chicks.” And since CA is a community property state I am extremely selective with whom I bang and get involved with.

I know you are black do you date white chicks as well as black chicks? What is your deal?

TLDR version: Single moms carry a shitton of baggage and hidden financial problems. When dating, they conceal these issues using various techniques. You should not date single moms, as their motive is to burden you with all their problems.

^ Respect.

Color is only skin deep Blake. I have dated other races, (white, latino, asian, etc). However, there is a shock value that is hard to overcome. I almost got married to a woman from South America, but sadly that fell through. While dating a successful well put together white woman, I could not get over the rampant stares we encountered. It made going out hard as we would inevitably be starred at for no other reason than our color. I’d like to find a respectable black woman. However, at my age (30 something), the dating pond is getting smaller and smaller.

I stole this tirade from another site. My boy dates single moms and has complaints listed within the aforementioned piece. I tell him to stay far far away, but sometimes you can’t fix stupid.

^ Maybe people were staring because you had HCBs with ya. I always stare when I see a HCB. The older you get, the less you care what others think.

See my previious posts about dating. I agree with Blake. Dating women over the age of 25 statistically makes you far to susceptible to unacceptable risk (e.g. children). Therefore do not date women over the age of 25, who are way more likely to be single moms.

I’ve dated older single women with children, and for the most part, they were entertaining. Most recently, the issue was that her child was around the same age as me. And, I got to know the daughter. So this is probably not quite the same issue you are refering too.

My best friend just married a single mom. They’re both working, her kids are older (roughly college age) - and he moved in to HER house!

Key here is obviously counter attack and pretend you’re committed to a serious relationship, even buy the little son of a b*tch an Xbox 360 or a smartphone for his mom to believe you’re serious, wear out whatever is left of the mom’s body, and then just GTFO of that.

Tell her that you’re saving everything for “a better life together … soon” so no new car, no house, and most of all, never sign sh!t.

^Negro, you got ice water running through your veins! I say avoid single moms, not pounce on the vulnerable pune!

What motivated the initial post?

I stole this tirade from another site. My boy dates single moms and has complaints listed within the aforementioned piece. I tell him to stay far far away, but sometimes you can’t fix stupid.

CvM, I think most of these “bad” things that happen are not necessarily the product of getting with a single mom, it’s just the product of getting older and complacent in your relationship. I think a lot of these things would happen regardless (except for things like #3–this wouldn’t happen if it were your biological child).

Also, I think there’s a difference between single moms who are divorced or daddy died, and single moms who were just too wild and got themselves knocked up. If mom got married at 23, then had kids, then got divorced, then they probably are more likely to have a better head on their shoulders than the typical “got-pregnant-at-18-and-still-wants-to-party” girl.

Last, even though I generally tend to agree that a lot of these things are what happen in a relationship, I’m not sure that it’s Mom’s intent for it to happen. IE–Stepdad may wind up paying for college, but that wasn’t why Mommy married Stepdad. It just happened that way. The outcome is the same, but you’re suggesting that the intent was sinister, when it just might have been happenstance.

CvM - yo when you hooking up with the pancake booty snow bunnies and people stare, just channel some ray nagin and let people know that all you aim to do is make some chocolate milk, which is a delicious drink that everyone enjoys.

interracial love for the win.

p.s. when i stare at interacial couples its usually because im wondering why all the athletic black dudes chase the fat blonde women.

apparently there are no single moms on analyst forum

That’s the most creative name ever bro, how’d you think of that?

And what is a “zip”?

And to the OP, what is a “PSA”?

Public Service Announcement. This is not intented to be a hate post to single moms. My heart goes out to them, but more a full disclosure of all implications and ramifications of getting involved with one.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been with two single moms, and the *only* part of the rant I can identify with is that “kids take up a lot of time (both mine and hers), so you don’t get to be as carefree as if you are someone without a kid”.

But is that really a surprise to anyone?

Some women are gold-diggers, and maybe having a kid turns some women into gold-diggers who wouldn’t be if they didn’t have those responsibilities, but as a man, one needs to have one’s guard up for that - single mom or not - just as women need to have their guard up against potential jerks (of which there are many).