What are your thoughts on a man dating a single mom? Is it a good idea for a man with no children of his own to date a single mom? Does dating a single mom make more sense for a single dad?

Greetings, young gentleman, Have you ever opened a dating app, swiped through a dozen faces, and felt strangely empty afterward—like you were shopping for connection but ended up with nothing real? You're not alone. In a world where our profiles are polished, our photos are filtered, and our words are carefully crafted, it's easy to feel like we're performing more than living. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard once warned about this very thing. He said that in modern life, the copy often replaces the original—that we start confusing a simulation for the real thing. Online dating is one of the clearest examples of this. We’re promised love, or at least intimacy, but often left with a curated illusion. This essay is a guide for young men who are trying to stay sincere, grounded, and self-aware in a digital world that rewards surface over substance. I think philosophy can prepare a gentleman for discernment into the ways of this world, this postmodern society, and the deceptive lies wrought with false promises of fulfillment. Philosophy has helped me to dispel the darkness of human existence and to gain clarity of that which Is. To this endeavor, let us now consider the traps and snares of online dating – and why you might think twice before trusting it. The First Instance: Liking an Online Dating Profile You found an attractive woman, have you? Jean Baudrillard said we often confuse what's real with polished versions of it—like a filtered photo that becomes more 'real' to us than the person it depicts. Hyperreality is when fake experiences feel more real than real life. Think Instagram stories, dating bios, or curated photos—these aren’t just tools; they replace real connection. That said, she is still attractive and your desire is high so you swipe right or click match (heart) icon. She likes or matches you back, yay! Or, is it? Now, you encounter the long dark night of ambiguity and intermitted texting followed with vague, contrived, and oft passive language. You are scratching you head, saying “But wait...why does this feel off?”

Anyone remember this post? There is a pretty girl who works the drive through window at a fast food restaurant on the way to work. I know nothing about her other than she is cute and she can get a breakfast sandwich out the window fast. How would I go about asking her out. The drive through is really busy and the second she hands me my order the window closes. This is not a matter of being afraid this is a matter of I got less than 20 seconds to shoot my shot. Any Ideas.

Prologue (short story) My dating quest led me to a hall of mirrors. Each was framed in ornate detail, suspended along the corridor like altars of attention. In them, I saw not my own reflection, but the gaze of women—each offering admiration, curiosity, warmth. Some smiled, others praised, a few looked back at me with the intensity of affection. It was easy to be drawn in. I smiled. They smiled. But none ever stepped through the glass. None met me beyond the gaze. Each mirror glowed momentarily, then dimmed into silence. I moved on, uncertain. Disillusionment crept in slowly—first as boredom, then as ache. I noticed shattered glass scattered across the marble floor. Several mirrors had been ripped from the walls and cast to the ground. Deliberate? Frustration? I stepped over the shards and continued. Next were the pedestals—each holding statues of women, some half-bodied, others full-form. They moved, spoke, and even reached out to touch me, but only when I worked the attached levers and buttons placed at their base. I learned the sequences for each. One required three kind words, another a compliment followed by silence. Some responded with gentle affection, others with flirtation, eroticism, even tenderness. And some were cruel, cold, dismissive. But a pattern emerged: despite their differences, they all followed a common logic. My inputs, their outputs. My pursuit, their animation. The moment I stopped—stopped speaking, stopped feeding the system, stopped overinvesting—they ceased. No statue ever reached for me first. Not one initiated contact. Again, the disillusionment deepened. And with it, a quiet despair set in. This was not love—it was labor. And I was being drained. I kept walking - slowly. Coming into view, I found many fallen pedestals and broken statues—pieces scattered, arms and faces chipped away, dismembered by time or disappointment. The debris led to a door. It was wooden, unlike the rest of the hall, unadorned save for a single word carved at its center: Sophia.

Introduction For young men, rejection in dating is often misunderstood. The sting of rejection can feel like a verdict on their worth. It’s easy to believe that being turned down is a direct reflection of personal inadequacy. This essay offers perspective to young men navigating rejection, particularly those seeking a sincere, long-term relationship. It serves as an intellectual balm for those tempted to internalize rejection as personal failure. Rather than internalizing rejection as a failure, he can understand rejection as a reflection of the other person's internal world. A quick but salient observation is that rejection, as a decision, is far more about her experiences, her assumptions, and (potentially unexamined) biases that shape her perception of, not only you, but the world. This reality is seldom discussed. With this shift in mindset, the emotional sting of rejection is redirected away from cynicism or despair, and towards a greater insight and understanding pursuant of self-growth and resilience. While social media with its numerous pop-psych gurus and alpha male doctors present the caricature of sexuality and dating into neat cookie-cutter antidotes and universal, static notions of value and exchange, these accounts overlook the preconceived and imposed norms, often unspoken in dating, of status matching, commodification of attention-seeking, goal-oriented (outcome based) expectations. All of which undermine genuine connection. Please note: this essay does not explore the very valid intentionality and compatibility of dating. Though I will briefly touch on it, this essay chiefly responds to the pervasive sophism that reduces dating to mere evaluative performance. Young man, before you blame yourself and risk the tears of self-pity, I invite you to sit down with a fellow stoic philosopher. Let us go beyond those shadows and puppets. Rejection as a Reflection of Her World A rejection is not delivered from an impartial judge. A woman deciding to turn down a man does so based on her own beliefs, past experiences, assumptions, and expectations. Some of these factors are rational, while others are shaped by emotions she may not even fully understand. Recognizing this complexity allows a man to avoid the mental trap of assuming rejection is solely about him and a discredit to his dignity. Be aware of your assumptions. Do not let a single one assumption go unexamined.