The Smartest Woman I Know

I had been having a rough day since J-Fed and I have been back in the ring – boxing not wedding. Needing some semblance of sanity, I turned to my daughter for an intellectual conversation. Mind you, she’s 5-years-old, but I’ll take it where I can get it these days.

Lately, I realized that we never talk about the divorce. We never talk about the future. And I’ve started to wonder if I’m making a mistake there. I mean, I don’t plan on being alone forever, but I never even thought about how it would affect her once I start dating again. I figured the best way to find out was to ask her.

“Honey, what do you think about mommy dating again?” I asked her.

“I don’t want another daddy. I like the daddy I have,” she said matter-of-factly.

“He’ll always be your daddy. I’m not talking about getting another daddy. I’m talking about mommy having a boyfriend,” I said carefully.

She sat there in deep thought for a few moments. Part of me thought she was giving the whole thing some serious consideration. However, the realist in me tended to believe that she was conjuring up a way to get a brand new doll out of this exchange.

“I think you should go on a date. I don’t want you to be lonely,” she said genuinely.

“Do you think I’m lonely?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she responded. “I think you should go on a date soon. When are you going to?”

I wanted to laugh. If only it were that easy. Since I rarely ever left my house, the only men in my life are the lawn guy (married), the mailman (no younger than 70) and the garbage men (not sure I could deal with the smell).

For a moment, I wondered why I was paying a therapist 60 bucks an hour when my 5-year-old made me feel just as good about my situation.