a) never married with no children

Do I really need to explain this one?

I gotta chime in here --

~~ I don't have a 'type' or preference - it's totally about the individual and I guess I've dated all of those 'categories'.

The comments about not being sure about dating someone who has never been married ... or had children...

I'm 46, I've never been legally married. However, I was in an almost 20 year relationship that was pretty much a marriage without a license. He was divorced, with 2 small children when we met ~ I helped raise those children into adulthood, we were closer than they were able to be with their biological Mother. I am in contact with them to this day and still receive Mother's Day cards from both of them.

I helped raise my three nieces, since their Mother was not in the picture and my brother was struggling. Everything from them living with me at times, to financially, to being their legal guardian, to being the only one to show up at their school and sports functions (besides my parents), to helping them choose prom dresses and getting braces on their teeth, to being in the delivery room when one of them had their child. She didn't ask her Mother or her Father to be there, she asked me to be there with her.

So, no I have never been legally married, nor do I have biological children. However, I do believe I totally understand and have lived both roles.

Maybe we all need to look further than what category is checked in a drop down box to get to know the real person before making decisions?

Just a thought

In a way....this one is kinda tough for me.

I have run into quite a few divorced women ( some with kids, some without ) that are so p*ssed off and bitter about what their ex did or didn't do that even considering dating them would just be asking for problems.

As fas as whether or not she has kids...well..fortunately for me, and unfortunately for some women I have met, my daughter was a very well behaved kid. That gives me a relatively low tolerance for women who have children that are out of control.

I look at it this way....if you can't keep your children under control ( and don't get me wrong, I know that kids will be kids at times, that's not what I am referring to here ) then how much control can you have with other important things in your life?

Well-mannered kids tell me a lot about a woman. It tells me not only what kind of parent she is but what kind of person she is. Granted kids, especially adolescent kids, can be a handful sometimes, but if she can't control how her kids behave around adults then I don't think I really want to know her any better. If she continually makes excuses for them then I really don't want to know her better.

Thanks for being honest - when people say they have no real preference, I'm a little surprised ... I think we all have a 'comfort zone' in this regard, whether we realize it or not.

My kid is always testing new people he meets.... and is way better without me around, as most children are. My son is with me for a week and his dad for a week, and that is hard.

My kid acts up sometimes, but in no way does that reflect on me as a parent. Rather, it reflects upon my son's awful circumstances. Other times, he is a well mannered angel. I don't introduce him to men other than my actual friends though.

The surest way for a kid to tell their parent "I don't like you dating" is to act awful. That has not much to do with her parenting skills and is only about their jealousy....