Question 4. Single dad has a first new date and daughter objects

Dear 21st Century Dad, am I ticked! It’s been four years since I’ve been out with a woman. On our first evening together, the sleepover my thirteen-year old daughter arranged fell through. My new friend and I were drinking wine and listening to music. We finished three quarters of the bottle between us over a four hour period. I would not call that heavy drinking. Every time my daughter came into the living room, she turned the walls into ice. Talk about unpleasant. After my date left, my daughter accused me of getting drunk. And because I was drinking, she threatened to get really blasted on the weekend. If I could do it, she could do it. I don’t know whether I should ask we what to do with my daughter or what I should say to my new date about my daughter.

Dear Oppressed Lonely Heart,

Can there be anything worse than a sour faced cupid-dating consultant?

Start inviting every female of every age we know for dinner. This girl needs some senior women in her life. Get our new girlfriend to help. Re-invite her for dinner and tell her to bring along two or three of her girlfriends. Tell our daughter to invite a girlfriend. Include wine on the menu. A judicious use of wine during an entertaining evening can set a great example for young people experimenting with alcohol. Or choose many of the excellent non-alcoholic drinks in the retail stores. If the new girlfriend is not interested in helping, maybe our daughter has better intuition than we do.

Be more concerned about her relationship with alcohol. Her threat indicates she has some prior experience with alcohol of which we are unaware. At thirteen, she’s too young to have already been blasted. We need to reassess our drinking habits. Consuming alcohol at home at least keeps your kids in sight. If your child is drinking at another friend’s house with or without their permission, beware. Have a talk with those parents and find out what is going on with their life and their teen’s.

To expand our range of potentials, experiment with one of dozens of dating services. Be courageous and have fun. There are thousands of dating sites. But first, better we read about the implications of too much booze first. Then, Google the dating services.

1. Alcohol: One of The Most Abused Drugs in Canada

2. eHarmony

3. Single parents dating, find single moms and single dads for dating