I found it interesting, and quite telling, that when I asked the readers of my singles column who have children or have dated someone with children about guidelines for dating with kids in the mix, I received answers all over the map. I heard from a mom of four who’s waiting until her kids are out of the house to date again, and from another single mom who wants her daughter to see her in a healthy romantic relationship so she can model what one looks like. I heard from a woman who still has a relationship with an ex-boyfriend’s four-year-old son, and others who regret getting so attached to the children now that the relationship’s over.

All to say there are no formulas here. As with many things in the single life, I think it’s important to know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses and take those into consideration when creating any boundaries. And it’s obviously crucial to be in close relationship with God, who knows us, our dates, any children in the mix, to know how best to proceed in any romantic relationship. In these instances we’re reminded of how much we need God, and how blessed we are to be able to lean on his all-knowing, all-wise, higher ways.

Used by permission of Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, copyright © 2006.  All rights to this material are reserved.  Materials are not to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Publishing Group.

Camerin Courtney is managing editor of Today's Christian Woman magazine, author of Table for One, and a columnist for ChristianSinglesToday.com.

Todd Hertz is an associate editor for Ignite Your Faith Magazine, formerly Campus Life.  He's a frequent contributor to ChristianSinglesToday.com and ChristianityTodayMovies.com.