By Cate Nelson •
July 24, 2009
During my older son’s pregnancy and when he was a baby, I was a single mama. I lived with another single mama and the two of us formed a sort of network with other single mamas. In our circle, we had variations in the father’s relationship with the child. In my case and that of my roomie, the biological father was not present at all. For friends, they had open shared custody agreements and did the best for their children to co-parent without drama.
And though our children did and do come first, inevitably the dating issue arises. I mean, we’re parents, but we still have a pulse!
How do you manage dating when you have a child or children, while keeping their best interests in mind?
In my previous eco-dating post I described a possible afternoon out to share with your significant other. This time let’s explore a night in!
I have found that cooking with your favorite guy or gal is a great way to spend time together and learn something new. Aaron and I tend to make a lot of whole grain pasta with chunky organic veggie sauce. Whole grain pasta is less processed than typical pasta and any foods made from grains rather than meat are less energy intensive to produce.
After this hearty meal you can rent a movie that you have both wanted to watch. Renting instead of buying is a way to share and re-use resources, in this case DVDs or tapes, as much as possible before they must be recycled or sent to a landfill. For us, renting is a particularly attractive option because theater tickets are so expensive these days and rental businesses definitely give us more choices. If you’re not keen on renting but want the same effect try Netflix or buying movies on iTunes.
My boyfriend Aaron and I have been dating for about 3 years now! Since we met in college, and college students are notably poor, we relied heavily on cheap dates that were within walking distance of campus. The good thing about these sorts of dates is that they are also often very eco-friendly!
First, for the guys, surprise your belle with a bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers. By doing so you are avoiding all of the plastic packaging and chemicals used to keep store-bought flowers alive. Also, a good majority of women are so impressed that you would take the time to pick flowers for them that you will score major brownie points in the ‘being a really sweet guy’ field!
Now to the main event! Taking a walk in the park is one of my favorite sustainable date activities. It may sound simple but it is more charming than you might expect. Plus, not only are you enjoying the environment and each other but you will feel great knowing that you are saving energy by opting for activity which requires no electricity or battery power.
During my older son’s pregnancy and when he was a baby, I was a single mama. I lived with another single mama and the two of us formed a sort of network with other single mamas. In our circle, we had variations in the father’s relationship with the child. In my case and that of my roomie, the biological father was not present at all. For friends, they had open shared custody agreements and did the best for their children to co-parent without drama.
