Single Mom Seeks Date

"Would he be a good father to my daughter?" This, my single-mom friends insist, is what I have to ask myself at the end of every first date. After two years of parenting solo, I'd decided to enter the dating scene again. But I wasn't yet ready to dive in, maybe just splash in the shallows.

Thing is, I was never very good at this pairing-off thing. Pre-child, I'd ignored red flags and often confused lust with love. On top of that, I no longer knew how to meet men. Sure, I saw single guys in the grocery aisles, but I was always more focused on picking up organic almond butter.

Online dating seemed like an easy, uncomplicated way to meet guys. Still, I'd only used my computer for word processing, never man hunting. So I did nothing -- until one night, when I was eating dinner with my two single-mom friends and our daughters, as we do every Tuesday. I was complaining, again, about how hard it was to meet available men.

"Why don't you try Match.com?" one friend asked. "If you do, I will."

I shook my head. No way.

"Just try it," she said.

We had a photo session the next week. I put on hot-pink lipstick and attempted to look natural, lounging in my friend's armchair, wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans. What I really wanted was a nap.