How many of you single moms out there have noticed those hot single dads out there at the PTA or at school drop off? You’ve probably been thinking, “How do I get that good-looking guy to flirt with me and ask me out without little Johnny’s teacher thinking that I’m treating the schoolyard as a singles bar?”
First off, if little Johnny’s teacher is single, then you had better flirt with that hunky guy before little Johnny’s teacher makes him dinner. In all seriousness, though, try not to overthink this situation. Just go for it.
Remember, you and that foxy father have something in common. Your kids go to school together, and both of you have your ex-spouses glaring at you from the corner of the playground. But you do need to flirt with a little bit of common sense. Here are my tips for you:
1. Walk over and introduce yourself. Playing coy will not get you the boy. You’ve got common ground, so start talking about the kids. You can even ask questions like “How is little Katie handling the divorce?” or “How long have you been separated?” You share a life-changing experience. Use it to bond!
Plus, asking questions like these lets you snoop around a bit. He will not know whether you are flirting with him or not, and you can find out whether little Katie’s dad is available.
2. Have an adult get together. Literally say this to him, “A bunch of us single moms and dads are having a dinner party without the kids. Thought it would be a fun thing to do. I’ll invite you to the next get-together.” By doing this, you will be including him in your life and creating a safe place to get to know each other better. Ask him to bring along a single male friend. Neither of you gets caught flirting by the teacher, so you won’t get an eraser thrown at you, nor will you be sent to detention. You’ll be doing a service for yourself and other single parents. And you can discreetly see if chemistry takes its course.
3. If you’re bold and don’t want to beat around the bush, then consider moving confidently forward. After you’ve flirted with that hot dad, you can come right out and say: “Let’s get together for a cup of coffee. Why don’t you give me a call?” If you’re like most women, you’ll follow tips #1 and #2 above, but are more demure about this suggestion. Maybe you’ve read The Rules and want him to make all the moves. But just remember, this is your life. It’s like I said before: Playing coy won’t get you the boy. In order to flirt with a man properly, you need to be obvious — like a blunt object to the back of the head obvious.
Trust me, I’m a guy. I know about this. Think back for a second to when you were married. If you asked your husband to clean up his office, he’d look at you and say, “Clean up what?”
We men, don’t see the stack of papers on the desk. We don’t see the pile of dishes in the sink. We don’t see the fur balls traveling like tumbleweeds across the floor. We don’t see the towels hanging crooked in the bathroom. Instant replay in sports was designed with us men in mind . . . since we never see the play the first time.
So if you want to snag a good man, you need to be obvious…unless, of course, that man was coached by me.
