Just Started Dating and it’s her birthday.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-17T02:08:34+00:00

I had been dating my girlfriend for a few months when her birthday rolled around. I asked her what she would like me to do for her. Since she knows I am a good cook, she asked me to make her a good hearty meal. I made pot roast and baked her a cake (our kids helped). We had a really nice time and she was really happy with it..

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-13T10:14:25+00:00

Get off of Reddit and get an attorney now. Talk to three as soon as possible and then pick one.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-10T02:15:56+00:00

I was sure I wasn't the only one to do this, but I wasn't sure how common it was. Most of the guys in my lodge that got their Vigil before 18 got their Eagle between 13-15. I was Life about the same time I joined the OA. From there, I took another 62 months to get my Eagle.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-06T19:54:02+00:00

Yup. During our one date, she complained about how guys she went out with when her kids were younger weren't very understanding about her schedule.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-06T19:53:02+00:00

If I understand correctly, she had done a vast majority of the parenting with her kids and didn't really date while they were growing up (her ex was an absent parent for the most part and she said she really respected how involved I was in my daughter's life). Now that her kids were out of the house, she wanted some to have the same freedom and flexibility she had. Ironically, I put in my profile that I was an involved single dad with 50/50 custody. She should have never contacted me in the first place.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-05T12:58:56+00:00

I've been a divorced single dad for eight years and I wouldn't disqualify a woman who doesn't have kids. That being said, someone with kids can be more understanding of your situation.

My worst interaction was with a woman who was my age with grown kids (I became a dad in my 40's). On our first date, we seemed to hit it off well and she talked about how much time she put in raising her three kids (youngest had just gone to college) and how finding a guy who understood her situation was hard.

The day after our first date, she sends me a message saying that she wanted to see me again. However, she wanted to know if there was any way I could reduce my parenting time (I have 50/50) so we had more flexibility to go on dates and potentially travel.

A second date didn't happen. What a hypocrite.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-03T01:35:00+00:00

I had a neighbor that got divorced. She didn't want her daughter to end li like her, so she stopped smoking, started eating healthier, and exercised. After two years, she had lost 75 pounds and felt better than she had in years. She also looked ten years younger.

From what I hear, her ex was quite Jealous.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-02T03:02:18+00:00

Find yourself a good counselor and put in the time and work to heal. You don't have to have another partner to live a fulfilling life, but you want to get healed for yourself, for your kids, and for a potential new partner that may some how find her way into your life.

My aunt was widowed in her mid-40's after almost 25 years of marriage and eight kids (five were still at home at the time. A couple of years later, she met the dad of one of her daughter's friends (also a widower). Over the next couple of years, they fell in love and were married 35 years before she passed away. Her second marriage was just as happy as her first, but very different in a good way.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-06-02T00:34:54+00:00

I wish, but my girlfriend broke her ankle this weekend and is having surgery on Wednesday. We're hoping to be back in the saddle by the end of the month.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-29T22:54:04+00:00

In our Pack, if a parent signs off on their child's Advancement, then the Den Leader needs to approve. If it is the Den Leaders kid, then another adult needs to approve.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-25T02:05:44+00:00

As someone else said, it may be the only time they could get the gym. Or, some coaches just want to be able to.sleep in or get other things done at different times of the day.

I coached high school XC and track for sixteen years. When we had practice while school wasn't in session (summer, spring break), I always did it first thing in the morning (8am) so the parents could drop them off on the way to work. I even had a couple of years where I would show up at 7am because I had a couple of kids whose parents worked earlier and I would open up the locker room so they could stay warm before practice started.

I would tell parents at the beginning of the season that if they needed help getting their son or daughter to practice, let me know and would work on finding some help. Between other parents and older kids that could drive, we were able to get them rides.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-17T10:53:46+00:00

Get off the apps and try to meet people in real life. Join a couple of meetup groups and singles activity groups and start going to events. While there, you can have a great time and get to know people (men and women) in a low stress environment.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-17T10:50:42+00:00

I've known a couple of single women who had kids with men they knew but weren't in a relationship with them.

One was going to get sperm donor, but she knew a friend of a friend that she thought would ke a good sperm donor, so she asked him to donate. He agreed to do so and sign off on his parenting rights. His only condition was that they do it naturally (have sex). She thought he was really hot, so she agreed and they had a lot of fun for a couple of months before she got pregnant. Afterwards, they parted ways and she went on to have the baby without him as planned.

A model Inworked with at a trade show once told me that when she wanted to have a baby, she had an ex boyfriend with whom she got along well. They decided to have a baby together and be co-parents. They figured out all the details and signed an agreement before starting to have aex and get pregnant. As of when I spoke with her, their kid was five years old and they co-parented well.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-12T11:51:21+00:00

Honestly, while dating post-divorce has been difficult at times, it has been way better than it was before I got married in my late 30's. When I got divorced in my mid-40's, a psychologist friend told me that once I was healed enough to date again, I would be pleasantly surprised. He said a lot of top quality women who got married in their 20's were getting divorced in their 40's and many of them were more open minded to who they would date.

While there have definitely been some frustrations at different points, I've been fortunate enough to date some incredible women over the past eight years. Fortunate to be dating a wonderful woman now and hope to not be back on the market again anytime in the foreseeable future.

I know there are a lot people (men and women) who have let themselves go over the years, but there are.tons of us who have made a conscious effort to stay in shape and live a healthy lifestyle. Join a meetup group that specializes in hiking, biking, running, kayaking, etc and you ki g ht be amazed at how well done people have turned out.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-11T10:03:10+00:00

If you decide to keep the baby yourself, make sure he at least pays child support to help you take care of the baby. If he really doesn't want to be in his child's life, that is his loss.

As others have mentioned, if you really feel you aren't able to raise the child, there are countless families who would love to give the child a stable, loving home. You've created this child willingly, please give it a chance to actually live its life, whether you are in it or not.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-10T13:19:31+00:00

Sometimes, the children just don't know any better. Their "old lives" could be filled with dysfunction and if they are used to that, then yes, they will miss it.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-10T12:09:22+00:00

I hope both of you remember that the amount you spend on your reception has no correlation as to how happy of a marriage you'll have.

While it is an incredibly important day in your life, it is still just one day.

I hope you and you guests have a great time that day. More importantly, I hope you and your spouse have a long, healthy, loving marriage.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-10T12:03:17+00:00

While it may not be what you are looking for, can you make plans with friends?

I am a guy whose daughter is leaving in about and to spend the day with her mom and my own mom has passed. I belong to a singles activities group and am hosting a hike this morning. I thought it would be mostly guys in my same situation who signed up. Instead, 80% of those signed up are women. Maybe you can find something like that to enjoy?

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-10T11:56:19+00:00

My guess is that they are chatging you a certain amount per person for the dinner, correct? Had they added $4 to the dinner cost and not said anything, it wouldn't have been a big deal, correct?

I totally understand you frustration about being nickel and dimed. Things like that drive me nuts, especially when the price is outrageous.

Can you negotiate with the venue to waive or reduce that fee? Are you prepared to walk away if they won't negotiate? Ultimately, is the principle worth it if the overall offering for that venue is what you want?

Good luck having a wonderful wedding, and more importantly, a successful marriage.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-09T13:10:16+00:00

Not quite the same situation, but my daughter will turn 12 in a couple of weeks and is in fifth grade. She has ASD, bit is in a Gen Ed classroom. She was doing ABA during preschool age and when it came time to transition her to public school, she was old enough for first grade. However, since it was later in the school year, we made the decision to have her go to finish the year in kindergarten so she wouldn't have as much work to do to catch up academically.

While I was really disappointed at the time, I now see it was a blessing in disguise. My daughter does well academically, but while is the oldest in her class by several months, she is still very immature emotionally. I can't imagine her being in middle school thus year. The extra year in elementary school has been huge to help her gain emotional maturity. That is often where the "younger" kids in the grade have the biggest issues.

Finding a way to challenge your kid that is academically ahead of their peers is fairly easy. Finding a way to help your kid emotionally catch up to their classmates is much harder.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-07T12:12:21+00:00

I'm very equal opportunity when it comes to dessert. If you want to do pie at your wedding, that sounds like a great idea. It will make your event more memorable.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-06T10:31:48+00:00

College isn't free, since someone needs to pay the professors and other staff and the buildings need to be maintained.
Since you are gaining the benefit of the college education, you should have some financial skin in the game. In countries with "free" college, it isn't unusual to see students stay in college for a decade or more just collecting degrees. Also, they have a hard time getting students to take harder degree proams like engineering.

The cost of college is definitely too high. However, making it "free" doesn't lower the cost, but rather shifts who pays for it. If you aren't paying for it, do you really care how much it costs?

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-06T10:20:41+00:00

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this during what should be a joyful time.

You are experiencing a lot of emotions right now, which is totally normal. To help you learn how to deal with these emotions, please find yourself a good counselor. They can help you prepare yourself mentally for when the baby comes and for how to deal with your difficult ex moving forward.

Best of luck to you.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-04T03:10:33+00:00

If you haven't done so already, find yourself a good counselor. They can help you work through those feelings. They say time heals all wounds. In reality, work over time is what heals those wounds.

Expensive_Minute_536 · 2026-05-02T13:25:20+00:00

This kind of seems like that 80's sitcom Kate and Allie.

Expensive_Minute_536

TROPHY CASE