6 Things to Know About Dating a Divorced Guy

#1. His ex-wife will always be part of his life. When you break up with someone you dated, you can relatively easily remove them from your life. However, marriage has a different level of commitment. Your new boyfriend and his ex-wife have mutual friends, maybe even kids. Even if you never meet her, you will probably hear about her from time to time. Don't let this upset you.

#2. He may have kids. If the man you want to date has kids from his previous marriage, you need to understand that he will spend time with them. Also, you should be prepared to meet them some day when your relationship gets serious enough and to accept them even if you don't like each other much. By the way, if the guy cuts all ties with his kids, it's a bad sign. Do you really want to date the man who abandoned his children?

#3. He knows what commitment is. Unless it was a spur-of-the-moment Las Vegas marriage, the guy who used to be married knows the true meaning of the word “commitment”. So it will be easier to build a committed relationship with him. However, that's not always the case. His marriage may have fallen apart because of the guy's inability to commit, so be careful.

#4. He may be cautious and hesitant. If the guy has gone through a messy divorce, he may want to take things slow in a new relationship because he doesn't want another heartbreak. So if you really like the guy, you will need all your patience. In fact, if he's hesitant, it's a good sign. This means that you are more than just a rebound for him.

#5. His friends and parents may be hard on you at first. You will have to meet your boyfriend's friends and family eventually, and you need to be prepared for tough questions and “If you break his heart, I will break your face” warnings. That doesn't mean they don't like you. They just want to make sure that you're not like his ex-wife and you won't break his heart like she did.

#6. His financial situation can be far from perfect. The guy is probably paying alimony or/and child support, so he doesn't have as much money as he (and you) would like to. This means no expensive gifts, expensive activities, or expensive vacations together. His financial responsibilities are important, and you need to accept that.