Member-only story
The Big Meet
Getting to Know My Partner’s Family — Terrifying or Satisfying?
I’ve been single for nearly seven years. That seems at once to be both a very long time and a split second.
But now, I’ve been dating a really teriffic man for a few months. I almost didn’t even go on our first date, if I am being honest. It was Thursday and I had a long and arduous work week, and well…so, so many of my prior online dating meetups were just so damn bland. There was the guy who was just really looking for a friend and sailing buddy, the guy who was an egotistical military surgeon, the one who wanted to make out thirty seconds after we met, the one who looked at me blankly when I suggested we split the check (for coffee), and many more. (First world problem, I get it, but still.)
Add to that it is very difficult for a woman my age to find a datable man who doesn’t have tiny, tiny children. My kids are all in their twenties and independent, and I am about as empty-nest as I am going to get for a while. I enjoy not having to look after anyone but my two small dogs. Life is good that way. So I haven’t been willing to date anyone with kids younger than mine, and finding those men is more haystack than needle.
This time was different. As I turned the corner to arrive at the neighborhood pub where we’d agreed to meet, I kinda knew. I knew at least that I was enjoying his…
