Super Mom and an Intro to Al's Dating policies

So here we are... my last night in London for a while. The holidays were nice and all, but I think it's about time I get back to the city I now call home: Montreal. I'm supposed to be driving up with my fraternity brother, Paul, and a few of his friends. Mind you, when I asked his brother about it, Eric didn't seem to realise that I was part of the carpool. I find that a bit disturbing since I'm the one who's supposed to be playing host to the gang. I'm sure it'll get sorted out soon enough. In the meantime, I should try and use my last night wisely.

Last night I went down to my usual London watering hole, the Oarhouse, with Morgan. I've been going there for a little over a decade now and, in many ways, I consider it like a home away from home. Once upon a time I was a regular during pretty much every week of football season, but with gradual staff turnover the place lost alot of its appeal. What can I say? I loved Natalie, Estée, Leyan and Robin. Now there's only Megan left from the old crew. Although I must say, they've added some pretty cool replacements, most notably Ashley (AKA Super Mom amongst my friends). It's funny when I think about it, but the ONLY thing I regret about leaving London is the fact that I couldn't take the Oarhouse with me. More accurately, it's that I won't get a chance to get to know Ashley at all.

I don't know much about her, really. I know she's an unmarried mother, going to Huron, and is ridiculously hot-- there's no way anyone would guess she's had a kid. She's also got the sort of personality that just explodes out of her. That sort of charisma is pretty rare. Now here's where I'll make an admission: I would most definitely date her if I had a chance. For those who don't know me and my dating policies, you won't be able to appreciate the significance of the previous sentence. Y'see, I have a virtually ironclad policy of never, EVER being willing to date single moms. Over the years, this has enraged a great number of women out there. So to all those I've offended in the past I say, "Bummer." That's not to say that there haven't been exceptions to the above rule. In fact, I can cite 2 moms (though neither is single) that I would be interested in pursuing. But given the fact that neither is single my rule still stands: no single moms.

You may not agree with my point of view, but I'm entitled to it. And for the sake of internet posterity I'll try to explain my stance one last time:

1) Alan absolutely HATES dealing with exes. Yes, I know that everyone out there will have some sort of ex-boyfriend or ex-husband, etc but when dealing with children, the exes will likely remain a constant part of the equation. The ex will create a certain amount of tension and anxiety, regardless of how amicably they get along. After all, if he was so wonderful, they never would have broken up in the first place. The child is a living, breathing reminder of her time with the ex. A part of her will always be living in the past. I want to build a future with someone, not be continually dealing with the past.

2) Alan wants a family of his own. That goes hand-in-hand with wanting to build a future with someone. I also freely admit that I'm not ready to have a family right now. Some day, sure. But not immediately. I just can't do it.

3) Single moms are less likely to want to have additional kids. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, as well, but it seems to me that if a woman has struggled through raising a child on her own and has finally gotten her life back on track, the last thing she wants or needs is to be derailed by adding more offspring to the mix. So it's less likely that she'll want any more. If my goal is to have a family of my own, as noted in point (2) then it's counter-productive to date someone who doesn't want more kids.

I'm sure I've rationalized it in different ways before, but if you boil it down to its base elements, it comes down to the 3 points listed above. That being said, Ashley makes me rethink my policies. Now I have no idea if she'd even have a coffee with me, let alone go any further, but that's irrelevant now that I live in another city. So methinks it's time to sign off from London. Next stop: Montreal!