Online Dating: The Single Mom Conundrum

Before you do actually drop the bombshell that you are a mom, it’s going to be a whole lot easier if you know a little about your potential paramour’s history. McKenna asks whether her dates have been married, how they feel about children and other subtly probing questions. "It gives you some context and you’re better equipped to tell them your story," she says.

How they feel about you having a child is a good indicator of whether or not you could continue to date them. Though it’s really good if a guy is interested in hearing about your child, you don’t want it to be the sole topic of conversation. When a guy is overly interested in your child it can be a turn-off. Ally finds it creepy when a date shows too much interest, which has happened: "Open and interested is good. Offering to baby-sit is weird."

Unfortunately, no matter how cool you think a guy is, he may lose interest once he finds out about your kids. "It just means that he wasn’t the right guy," says Schneider, "And not worth worrying about."

Finding out that there are plenty of men out there who won’t date single parents can be shocking but if you don’t disclose about your children you’re looking for trouble. "You don’t need to be with people that are so rigid they won’t date someone with a child, how they react to you telling them about your child is a great screening process," says McKenna, "If they lose interest in you because of your child then screw them, they wouldn’t have been worth dating anyway."

* Names have been changed to ensure privacy

Sidebar:

Hollywood’s Hottest Single Moms

Reese Witherspoon

After divorcing Ryan Phillipe, Reese became single mom to Ava (aged and Deacon (4) which hasn’t stopped her enjoying dates with recent co-star Jake Gyllenhaal.

Kate Hudson

Kate’s gorgeous son Ryder (3) was born during her six-year marriage to Black Crowes front man Chris Robinson.

Michelle Williams

Two-year-old Matilda is the spitting image of daddy Heath Ledger, but the couple recently announced that they’d split and would be parenting solo.

Krista Allen

Having a 10-year-old son, Jake, hasn’t stopped this celluloid beauty dating some of the world’s most gorgeous men, including George Clooney.

Meg Ryan

Ryan chose single motherhood and adopted her baby, Daisy True, from China in 2006.