dating

i've never been one to date...i mean really as far as most people know i've only been with two people in my whole life...the donor to my daughter and the man i love but cant stay with.... i've always been one of those girls who wanted to know somebody first...i dont like "date" complete strangers...although i have pursued them....during law school jb and i took what we called the sabbatical...about 15 months apart...i met a man who somehow encouraged me to be forward again...he made the offer and i pursued it....and it was fun, he was fun but as we got to know each other we knew that it wasnt " meant to be"...or whatever the term is when you think you have a future together...about the time we ended it was the time that jb and i rekindled which was 7 years ago....wow thats a long time and i still know those guys....of course realizing that we were only meant to be friends...i always called it "hanging out" i'm just hanging out with someone because for me to be serious means involving a whole lot of other people than just myself....while i may have dated more than those 2 i have brought very few people home...because i'm like that...if i introduce you to my daddy you better be ready....because my daddy is my world...and if you meet my momma you better be ready to impress her...and then theres my kid....i dont introduce her to just anybody... its interesting to note that i've started dating again as she is getting ready to date....as i said earlier...its not that she cant date....its that she chooses not to....theres a very nice boy she likes and i use my own status to spark discussions about dating, commitment and all the other things important in a girls life... but its still difficult. while i dont know what i'm ready for, i have a few ideas about who i'm ready for and i have to take all of those things into consideration....because now she knows what the difference is.... and so do i...