Single Dads. Would you date one?

I was doing the ususal lunchtime browsing of the interweb while I tucked into my Sainsbury's Be Good To Yourself Chicken Chow Mein.  Only 315 calories dont you know?  So there I was, merrily clicking away in firefox on a few links and one page led to another and this popped up...

Top 10: Reasons why Women wont date Single Dads.

Have a read and see what you think.

I have to say I was a little taken aback if I'm honest but not shocked. Not by a long way.

Let me put this into some kind of personal perspective here.

As regular readers of the blog will know, I've been dipping my toes in the shark-infested waters of internet dating again.  Again?  Yes, I'm up to either 4 or 5 different spells now.  Two or three times when I was a lot unfitter than I am now (around 3-4 years ago) and two more recently, in the last 12-18 months.

I dont know why but the interest levels when I was unfit were a lot greater than they are now.  I used to get the odd message but the majority of contact was instigated by me.  I've got no issue with that.  I'm not exactly bless like Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper or George Clooney in the looks department but I was getting some attention and it was nice going out, regularly going on dates and getting to know new people.

More recently, it has been nothing short of a disaster in comparison.  Ok, I'm a little older now but I'm a damn site fitter and look a million times better than I did before.  I'm the same person inside personality-wise, so I cant see what has gone wrong for it to end up like this.  I really dont know.  I've had this conversation with my friends, my family, anyone who would listen.  

If I had a pound for every time I've heard I'll meet someone when I least expect it or I need to be patient, I'd be sitting here typing this on an iPad somewhere on a secluded remote beach in the Carribean.

Apart from a few "relationships" that have dragged out for a couple of months before blowing themselves out, I've been single for nearly six years now.

I know I wanted to live on my own for a few years to say I've been there and done it before my next relationship but I've been and done that now and I'm getting quickly bored of it.  Wouldnt you be?  What fun is there in coming home to an empty home?

So anyway, I digress.  Two recent dates have led to nothing.  So I kept on plugging away.  

Still nothing.

Changed my profile.

Nothing.

Changed my profile again.

Nothing.   

I've asked female friends for advice on my profile and the emails I've been sending out.  Still nothing.

There's only so many hours you can spend going to the trouble of reading profiles, writing personal messages without getting a response back.  You know they've read the message as they click on your profile soon after but the fact there's no response coming back gets you.  

I've lost count of the number of emails I've sent this time around...

By coincidence, as of last night, I've now deleted both my Match and Plenty of Fish accounts and I'm not going to put myself through the torture of internet dating any more.

I'm past beating myself up as to why Princess76 or whatever their username may be hasnt responded to my messages.

Yes, I'm well aware that to win the lottery you need to buy a ticket but you begin to wonder what the point is when, according to the web link above, Single Dad's have already had the "void if removed" cover removed from their scatchcard.

Me and internet dating have fallen out.  Big time.

So what next?  Who knows.  Perhaps my dream woman will end up reading this and get in touch.  I dont know.  I'm beyond the point of no return and I have to accept that I may grow old alone.  Not a nice thought.

I have to say that I dont think any of my friends will get where I'm coming from.  Not one of them have been in this position.  They should think themselves lucky.  Well, they might think they understand but they wont.  I dont want to grow old alone.

I never dreamt that dating at 38 would prove so difficult.    When I say dating, I mean the process of getting an actual date in the first place.

What will be will be.  Here's to growing old disgracefully alone and no doubt with a few more marathons under my belt :)