Days of hearts and roses

There is one good thing about being a single mom on Valentine's Day: I may not have a man in my life, but I will always have Valentines! :)

In honor of the day, I thought I'd tackle the subject of dating. Here is what I know about dating the second time around:

Did you get that? Nada.

It's about as much as I knew the first time around. I do know this: Everybody keeps saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. But who wants to kiss a frog? They're slimy, it's unsatisfying and you might get warts! Besides, I'm losing faith that a real prince exists. Maybe they're all just frogs and one found a golden thimble to wear on his head.

Of course, I could be a bit jaded. I've spent the whole weekend talking with several people about failed relationships and rehashing my own last two, and it really doesn't inspire much faith. It's not that I don't believe there are good men out there: I know quite a few. But they're either spoken for, not interested in me or I'm not interested in them (on that level).

Perhaps I'm at a point where it's just safer this way. It could be I'm not done being single. For the most part, I like being free to be myself and do as I please without worrying about whether or not I'll be in trouble for it later. (And that includes everything from buying legal car tags to having dinner with friends.)

But if I'm honest, there are times I really miss having a guy around. Here are a few:

* When I can't reach (okay... perhaps not valid with a 6'2 son around)
* When the car wobbles or makes a funny noise, and I have to figure out what to do about it
* "Mom, I need an athletic cup!"
* When I've just kicked my shoes off and remember we're out of milk, and there's no one to call to pick up a gallon on his way home
* When I've been up half the night with (insert reason here...and no, not partying!) and someone still has to make sure the kids are out the door on time in the morning
* When 10 things are going wrong all at once and my patience runs out after the first two, but there is no one to run interference
* When, at the end of a long day (or a short one, for that matter), all I really want is a pair of strong arms around me, a deep voice whispering that it's all going to be okay, and one, good passionate kiss...and that is all.

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll! :)