A Reddit thread asking childless men whether they would date a single mother has generated more than 2,700 comments, revealing a spectrum of personal experiences that highlight the emotional complexities involved. The discussion, posted in the r/AskReddit community, drew candid responses ranging from deep regret to firm personal boundaries.
A Painful Introduction to Fatherhood
The top comment set a somber tone. The user described a relationship that gave him an instant family of three girls, only to lose them all when the partnership ended. He wrote, “I lost 3 little girls who were everything to me, never got to say goodbye. Unfortunately, the mother turned out to be a bad person (the nicest way I can put how awful she really was). I still think about the 3 girls all the time; so many things remind me of all the adventures we went on. I went from having no children to 3, then back to 0 when we broke up.”
When a Breakup Affects the Child
Another commenter shared a two-year relationship with a woman who had a six-year-old daughter. The bond with the child became central to his life. Recounting the breakup, he said the mother told him, “It’s like that scene from Jerry McGuire; ‘I live with a kid who I really love… and I really like her mom too.’”
The commenter explained that the situation was difficult for everyone, particularly the child, who had already navigated her parents’ divorce. He recalled sending a Christmas gift after the split. “The mom called and thanked me, then asked if I could break off contact to give the new boyfriend a chance to get close to her. I did what she asked. After that I never dated a woman with a kid,” he wrote.
A Single Mother’s Perspective
The thread also attracted responses from single mothers. One woman stated she had deliberately avoided introducing partners to her child to prevent exactly the scenario described above. “It’s not cool for the kid for a parent to hope something works out simply to fill an adult void of wanting a relationship,” she wrote.
She acknowledged her position might be easier to hold because she had not faced that specific dilemma, but emphasized her intent was not to judge others. “I’m just saying I’m extremely happy I feel that way. Not trying to start a whole argument about it but it’s one of the only areas of my life where I can actually understand how the future would affect me (and my kid) so seriously,” she wrote.
This article is based on a post shared in r/AskReddit on Reddit. The Daily Dot could not independently verify the personal experiences described by commenters or their identities.
