In this world of divorces and various dating and life circumstances, there may come a point when you are going to have children and be dating. Contrary to what you may have heard, the two can mix.

What you need to realize with your children is that there are two rules to always abide by:

1. Always be honest.

2. Only tell them what they need to know.

Yes, when you’re starting to date again after divorcing their other parent, you want to make sure they know that while you’re seeing other people, this doesn’t diminish the role of their ‘actual’ parent.

Let them know that you want to enjoy spending time with another person. It’s not that you don’t love their other parent, but that you want to see others.

From there, going into detail about why you aren’t with the other parent is unnecessary. If the child asks, diplomacy is going to be the best advice, especially when your child is young. What you can also do is let your actions speak louder than words.

Be nice to their other parent no matter what.

Be nice to the new dates you have, and introduce them to your children.

Listen to your child’s opinion of your dates.

This doesn’t have to be a sticky situation. What you need to do is to not make a big deal out of this dating situation and simply show your children how happy you are because of getting out of the house.

And how happy you are with them as a result. Smooth sailing.

The truth is that with people living longer and divorce numbers rising, more people are returning to the dating game than ever. And this new breed of baby boomer daters is finding that the rules have changed for them.

Dating for those that are back in ‘the game’ has become more complicated. Not only do you have to worry about online safety, but you also have to learn about how to use the online dating systems that are now the hottest place to meet someone new.

It’s a whole different scene.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun doing it. Daters that are just coming back to the problem of finding a new date need to keep these things in mind:

1. If you don’t meet a person in person, they might not be who they say they are.
2. You CAN meet a good person online, if you’re honest and open to talking with others
3. Get to know someone before you meet them in person
4. If you have anything that you do not like or do not want in a date, be sure to say so.

Though you might not have someone to set you up with the perfect man or woman, you can play your own matchmaker with online dating. Just be clear about what you want (and what you don’t want) to find the right person for you.

Sure, the rules have changed, and the playing field has become a little scarier, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun along the way.