Thanks for joining us on the forum – glad to have you here. You are welcome to post 24/7 but please note that our forum moderators are only here some of the time. If though you need urgent crisis help, please contact Samaritans on 116 123.
Hi all
single dad here. Recently divorced. But out of family home for last 3 years. Have a wonderful 5 year old boy. See him every other weekend and more over holidays. Never enough but when is it?!
I’m struggling to meet other single dads or where to go to meet others in my situation. As I’m sure many of you have experienced, I’m the single dad at the school gates who everyone says hi to but never really go beyond that - let alone say ‘ why don’t we get a play date going ‘. I know my son loves me and is happy to be just with me but I want to ensure he gets to play with others. And it would be nice to meet some new people as well, I don’t really have any friends …especially with younger children.
how does one meet other dads and their kids? Stupid question but I’m struggling to find the answer.
thanks all
Hi,
How about your local parks/play grounds? Or soft play centres. Only time I socialised with another dad was when we both volunteered to go on school day trip with our kids. Maybe you can check with school if any trips going on? Our school always asks parents if we can volunteer.
It can be tough to break the ice at the school gates, but you're not alone in feeling that way. Maybe try starting with a casual chat about something your son did at school or a funny parenting moment. Sometimes just a small conversation can lead to making plans for a playdate. You could also look into local parenting groups or activities where you might meet other dads in a more relaxed setting. Hang in there, and I hope you find some cool dads and playmates for your son soon.
Hi, it's fab that you are so keen to spend quality time with your son, and it can be easy to think that just the two of you might not be enough for him. Have you asked him what he enjoys doing when he is together with you and if there's anything else that he would like to do with you? It might be that being with you is what he looks forward to and he doesn't feel that he wants to share that time with someone else. If it does look like he would want playdates etc then let him lead you on this - maybe he has a friend or two that he would like to go to the park with after school one day or a particular place he wants to check out?
On the playground front and making friends with other dads - chatting with a fellow dad about plans for the weekend/hols could lead to swapping ideas of good places to go/things to do and maybe to doing something together. You are definitely not alone in feeling like this and in many areas there are dad+me groups and doing a local search online may help.
Parent Support @ Spurgeons + mum of 3