In a new episode of the Drew Barrymore show, Drew interviews the Queer Eye guys. One of the segments features interior designer Bobby Berk talking about where to host Zoom dates. Drew tears up and explains that she does not know how to date as a single mom. Drew’s vulnerability in that moment opened up conversation around single parent dating. In an appearance on CBS This Morning, Drew told Gayle King that she never realized that she felt it was hard to date until she said it out loud. Drew has been single the last six years after divorcing Will Kopelman with whom she has two young daughters, Olive, nine, and Frankie, sevn. Drew explained that her ex has since remarried, but she has been struggling to date and that the pandemic compounded the issue. Here are a few more highlights via Yahoo! and the interview with This Morning is posted below:
“I had never realized and said out loud that I don’t know how to date with kids,” Barrymore said on CBS This Morning while promoting the episode. “My kids’ dad [Will Kopelman] is happily remarried with the most wonderful woman in the world, Allie [Michler]. My children have this extraordinary stepmom. Our processes have been different and their side of the street is so functional and whole and happening. And I think I’ve been on the sidelines — in a beautiful, honoring purgatory.
“I’ve been saying ‘It’s me,’ ‘It’s my choice,’ ‘I’m not ready,’ ‘I wanna wait,’” she continued. “I don’t think I’ve said out loud that it’s really because I have these two daughters.”
“I’ve been single for six years and I’ve [no idea] how to do this,” she added of dating. “I’ll go on an occasional date but that’s only in the last two years. It took me four to even step out there. And people have different processes. Then enter a pandemic, where you think maybe I should step out of my comfort zone and see.”
But dating in a pandemic isn’t Barrymore’s cup of tea. “I also honestly found Zoom dates really unromantic,” she explained. “They’re just a reminder to me of the state of the world that were living in. However, counterpoint, you can’t fight City Hall. Online dating is where it’s at.”
As far as the kind of man she’s looking for, well, it’s definitely someone who isn’t “interested in marriage or kids.”
Still, that doesn’t mean she’s ready to walk down the aisle anytime soon. “Never!” she exclaimed at the prospect of getting married again.
“There’s no reason to be. I would maybe live with someone, maybe, but I’ve had kids. There’s no way. I will never ever ever ever [get married],” she added. “This is not just about me being stuck. This is about, when you’re a single mom, it’s a dynamic that I have probably not been able to figure out yet. And that’s OK to have patience with ourselves.”
I honestly decided when I was 21 that I did not want to be anyone’s mom. I have never regretted that decision. However I grew up watching my mom trying to navigate dating while parenting and it did not seem like an easy task. Like Drew, my mom was very protective of me and would never introduce me to someone until it was serious. Drew is not alone in this struggle. I have also watched several of my friends go through this stage of single parent dating after a divorce. It was stressful for them as well and my friends are some multitasking beasts. In fact, dating is hard AF full stop.
I also love Bobby’s response to Drew tearing up. When Bobby told Drew not to put so much pressure on herself, I felt that. We can work so hard to do something perfectly the first time that it takes the fun out of the experience. I also giggled when Drew said she is not looking to remarry again because there is no point in it. I have been a Drew fan since ET and Firestarter and watching Drew’s growth over these last few years has been so heartwarming. I have been enjoying Drew’s show because her vulnerability is so refreshing. Hopefully Drew will start a conversation around this very real problem for millions of people.
“I had never realized, and said out loud, that I don’t know how to date with kids”: @DrewBarrymore opens up about stepping back into dating as a single mother — and finding her “bravery” with the help of the @QueerEye co-hosts. pic.twitter.com/BMaLpXxieV
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 12, 2022
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