Originally Posted by
Florence 
Maybe what you're seeing now is validation that she lacks boundaries and needs to be with someone at any costs -- anyone. How does it affect the kids? The kids see that mom's priorities are on herself and in spite of whatever attention they need.
I totally agree with this above. And I saw it over and over again with my A best friend before she died. She would accept
any man, just to have one. Didn't matter of she liked him or not. And they were all big partiers, go figure; she chose men who supported her lifestyle. I asked her once, in her 5 month stint of sobriety, why she continued in an obviously dysfunctional relationship with a guy she really despised, and she said she didn't know any other way to live. And living alone filled her with dread. So sad.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Try keeping a journal. It helped me a lot.
And lastly, dating with kids is challenging. I am with you on not introducing kids too early, but now that mine are older teenagers, they could really care less, as long as they aren't forced to do things they are uncomfortable with or my time and attention gets too focused on the new guy. If this is a boundary of yours, uphold it regardless. I do - have had several dates invite me over to "watch a movie" when their kid is asleep. Such a turn off.
Peace to you today, Zen. It does get better over time.
~T