Q: I have two children — boys ages 7 and 4 — with a man who takes no interest in them and hasn’t seen or communicated with them in about two years. Up until about 6 months ago, I never dated. I’m now in a relationship with an incredible man who has a 4-year-old daughter.

Basically, I can see my boys getting attached quicker than I anticipated. I absolutely don’t want to be selfish, or jeopardize my boys having more “daddy issues” because of someone else not being there in the future, but I also don’t want to pass up something that truly seems so wonderfully positive in all our lives.

A part of me questions why I would even consider doing something that puts the boys at risk in any way. The only alternative I can see would be to never date anyone until they’re grown, and although some say that is what is right, I’m not sure I agree. I realize some dialogue needs to take place about the future as it involves the kids, but I’m unsure what questions to ask, even though I know there are no guarantees, no matter what we believe the future may hold. I’d appreciate any guidance on this.

A: There are no guarantees, but I am not of the mind that divorced parents should not date. We are human. We need companionship, but more importantly, our children need positive role models for good relationships. Children who mostly see disrespect or even violence often are doomed to recreate them in their own lives.

Be mindful of the fact that if you are telling your children, “This is my boyfriend” or “my girlfriend,” both of you not only treat each other the way you want to be treated, but also how you would want someone to treat your children as adults in a relationship.

We hear stories of children and their stepparents not bonding, but more often I have seen the opposite to be true. And if parents move in and out of relationships, it’s extremely difficult for a child to get close to someone.

To complicate that scenario, dating parents introduce their children to each other, the children get close, and then in a breakup they lose sibling figures as well.

That’s why I suggest parents do not bring their dates around their children until they have some sense of permanency about their new relationship.

To figure all that out, the Bonus Families website, www.bonusfamilies.com, features an article called “The Before Exercise.” Key word: Before.

The exercise simply asks you to sit down with your partner and talk about what you expect from each other and what kind of relationship you want to have with each other’s children.

A good relationship doesn’t just happen. You guide it to where you want it to go. The exercise helps you constructively mold the relationship you want. Then it’s up to you both to live it.

Oftentimes single parents don’t want to openly discuss where a new relationship is going for fear they might seem too pushy and scare the new partner away. Time to grow up.

If you have children and having this sort of conversation with someone you are seeing seems too heavy, it’s too early to introduce the kids.

The Before Exercise is for people who are serious about each other and making a positive impression on their kids. Once you have children, dating is NOT frivolous.

Dr. Jann Blackstone is the author of “Ex-etiquette for Parents: Good Behavior After Divorce or Separation,” and the founder of Bonus Families, www.bonusfamilies.com. Reach her at:

drjannblackstone@gmail.com

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