How Black Men View Baby Mamas

June 15th, 2010 - By admin

Anslem “NWSO” Samuel’s Naked With Socks On is an award-winning relationship blog. Each week, NWSO will share his candid thoughts on women, love, life and all the fun stuff in between with MadameNoire.

I’ve spent a good majority of my adult life trying not to have a baby mama. Not because I don’t want children, I just don’t want children with a woman that’s not my wife. See, when you do the wife and kids thing, that’s generally something planned and thought out. Even if it’s not, you’re married so having kids isn’t really that big of a deal because it’s expected at some point.

A baby mama, however, is a whole other ball game. Just look at the term itself. It’s detached and impersonal. She’s not called my wife, my girlfriend, or even my lover, but my baby’s mama. That doesn’t denote a loving connection but a relationship of circumstance. Generally, this is just a woman that happened to get pregnant and if not for the child y’all probably wouldn’t have any further contact after the relationship went south. Even if y’all are together, the fact a man would refer to you as his baby mama as opposed to his wife/girl shows that there isn’t much hope for the relationship evolving beyond two people that happen to share a child.

Now, as a single man with no kids, I’m in no rush to get involved with someone else’s baby mama. That’s not to say I’d never date a single mother but she definitely wouldn’t be my first choice. Getting to know someone is hard enough, but trying to do that around a mother’s 24/7 schedule can be downright impossible. Single folk like myself can just pick up and go out on a whim, while parents have to work around less flexible babysitting schedules. Since I have no kids I’m selfish and just not ready for that kind of situation.

Dating someone with a kid(s) is a package deal. When you go out with a single mom you’re not just dating her but her kids (and her crazy baby daddy). The last thing I’d want to do is get attached to a kid — and vice versa — only to have the relationship with his or her mother not pan out. The mom would understand why I wasn’t in the picture anymore, but depending on the age of her child, he or she may not. My father was never really around so I’d never want to be just some dude that came in and out of a kid’s life. It’s not fair to the innocent child.

Another factor to consider is the idea of jumping into a situation where there’s a built in family in place. This ain’t the Brady Bunch and I’d much rather have my own instead of playing daddy to the next man’s kids. Speaking of which, the only thing worse than the haphazard dating schedule of a single mom is the potentially intrusive baby daddy. Exes can be very possessive and that’s especially true if there’s a kid involved. I don’t need that headache and aggravation, so jealous baby daddy’s that will always be attached to the woman I’m seeing because of their kid is a major turn-off.

Overall, the idea of a baby mama just doesn’t work for me — be it my own or someone else’s. In the event that I got the wrong woman pregnant, I see it making for an awkward and unhealthy environment for my child. I’d much rather have a stable family structure with my wife than a faux family. And in terms of dating a woman with kids, there’s a possibility things could work out given the right circumstances, but truthfully I’d rather date someone with less baggage.

For more on NWSO’s relationship advice and bare-naked truth, as well as his popular weekly erotica series, Wet Wednesdays, be sure to check his daily blog, Naked With Socks On, here.

Madame Noire Video

  • UcBG

    agree 100% with you. i refuse to date men with children. and we know that most of the time, men don't even have full custody of the kids, BUT i don't want the hassle of the baby mama. i'd rather be with a man who owns his own time and has no drama from an ex. i did it once and will never do it again.

  • Meaghan

    I am 23 years old pregnant and it isn't looking very good for me and my baby's father so I guess that would make me the epitome of a "baby mama" I am however a college graduate with my own car, own job own place and I'm going to graduate school for software engineering. Before I found out about my unplanned pregnancy it was hard if not impossible to find a black man that was willing to take ANY responsibility, let alone his children or anyone else's children for that matter, and this wasn't just an issue that I had. Neither me nor any of my [black] girlfriends or any of their friends are seeming to find a good black man willing to commit. My white friends however are getting married or have been in long term committed relationships by age 25. So your apprehension about the "baby mama" type doesn't shock me because no black mans lack of commitment shocks me anymore. The bigger issue at hand, in my opinion isn't how black men don't want to date women with children, its WHY are there so many single black women with children in the first place? In my case with the father of my baby, as soon as I informed him of my pregnancy, instead of stepping up like a man and doing the right thing, he chose to do the very opposite and I see it happen so much, to so many of my strong beautiful and smart black women who aren't BABY MAMAS but educated women with a conscience and a knack to own up to their responsibility….If more men would jump on that bandwagon I'm sure there would be a lot less "baby mamas" for you to so casually generalize.

  • Take A Hike Brother.

    I am single woman without children by choice. Family planning down to a science. I wanted the husband and the whole package. I still do, but dating someone with children is impossible. I just pulled the plug on a "relationship" this month. The endless excuses for no quality time got old.

    Also, his insecurity didn't help the situation. I cared about this person, but between the stories about a child who was never put in her place and a momma trying to subsidize her lifestyle using the child as leverage, it was a little troubling. My biggest fear is when a man with children attempts to move on with someone else, the momma goes for the jugular. For me, a new child support agreement and prenup would have to be on the table to protect assets. It's buyer beware.

  • Open Mindedness Plea

    In many of the comments I read, the main idea was that it's negative to have kids without being married but if a person were to be married and divorced, that is somehow different. I think too often people try to hold onto old fashioned ideals in a world that just is not conducive to them anymore. When you refer to marriage, I am curious to know if you are simply talking about the ceremony or the act/idea of committing yourselves to each other for life? Personally, I have always felt that because marriage is more about the commitment to love and honor each other for the rest of your lives, two people can be "married" without ever having a ceremony to prove their love to others. I mean, think about it, the ceremony is really more for the sake of other people to know that you two are committed to each other.

    The reason I bring this point up is because in the world we live in today, thee are many different reasons that a couple may choose to not "marry" each other int he traditional sense, but that does not necessarily mean that their relationship is unhealthy or in any way different from that of a traditionally married couple. Take, my situation, for example, my husband and I have been together for over 10 years and we are expecting our first child later this year. Our reason for choosing to not formally have a ceremony is not because he doesn't love/respect me or I him, but rather because we both support gay rights and feel uncomfortable engaging in an act that has been denied others who also truly love each other. Does the fact that we are not formally married despite our commitment to each other mean that our child will be dysfunctional? Say for instance, we didn't work out and decided to separate, would our child somehow be more affected by our separation than he would be if we had officially had a ceremony and then divorced??? My point is marriage is not everything, it's more about the love and commitment that two people feel towards each other in a relationship that is going to make the difference for children. Just because two people aren't formally married doesn't mean they cannot provide that for their children or that their lives will be drama filled.

  • IceColdBunny

    I must admit, I agree with the article. I can count on one hand the number of men I've dated who have children. And most of those men were married when they had their children, so the circumstances in which a man has children makes a huge difference. The only way I'll date a baby daddy is if baby mama lives outta state, is dead, or remarried or possibly if his children are grown(I'll take a sugar daddy:-)

    However, as a degreed professional childless woman, I'm bringin alot to the table and expect the same and truly prefer men without children. What's really messed up is when men WITH children tell me they rather date women WITHOUT children. It doesn't matter to most because sooo many people out there already have children. But to meet a guy who doesn't have children is like ;-) ♥♥♥

  • Curious1

    This is such a sad generation of folks…just sad…

  • Mom in Chicago

    As I read your post which was forwarded to me from one of my relatives. I was really in awe. I am a mother and wife of two great children. I have a great career in which I work well over 50 hours a week. A salary which my husband and I bring home over $100,000 combined in which truly I make more than my husband. However, I am an Afrcain American women with an education strong family, educated very much so. It's ashamed we have males who look down on a woman having a child as some thing low or ungraceful. The reality is your letter was not just disheartening to me but to our children. Have you ever volunteered have you ever, went outside of your community and worked with males, young girls who need a father figure. Some of these children need it, some of these children need a male role model. Some of these children have great personalities and some who do not how dare we do not help mold these young ones. It's certainly your choice of who you date, but I hope to god you would never run into the problem of an unwanted or out of wedlock child. And insidious get married because you do not want to be labled as baby daddy or have a baby mamma for one stop the connotation which brings these harsh words. Some thinking that hey I'm better. Really are you able to rightly say you are better or you have it together. I work so many hours if I was single I would not be able to date. I would not want to date I would just want to rest but certainly if you have the ideology that you have you would truly miss out on so many experiences in your life. GOOD LUCK and BE SAFE!!!!!!!!!!

  • 360 Degrees

    At the end of the day, the woman makes the final decision about either having sex or not having sex, getting pregnant or not. If you don't want to be a "baby mama", ghetto or not, don't have a baby until you get married. There has to be a double standard between men and women, because the final choice lies with them.

  • kc

    I am a single parent of two children. I'm not at all offened by a man choosing to not want to date me because of my boys. I look at it like any other preffenses they have, big chest, big butt, that type of thing. If you aren't cool with my babies keep it movin, it isn't a big deal. I'm sure that there are men who would change their mind for the right one. One persons comment of "settleing for a person with kids was offensive though. Cause I don't recall ever having become bottom of the barrell after my babies were born. It doesn't make me a lesser option, just a different option.

  • 360 Degrees

    Them as in women.

  • LYRICS

    i have been preaching this same thing 4 years when all my friends became the dreaded 'BM'……..as far back as i can REMEMBER i've ALWAYZ said i want 2 get married and then have kids….not be w/ my boyfriend and have a baby for him!!!

    i'm very sorry, but the women who contest the truth of this article are the one's who are single mothers and are….BABY MOMMAS!!!!!

    THERE IS NOTHING ANY WOMAN CAN TELL ME B/C I'VE BY PASSED THAT STIGMA OF 'ISH HAPPENS'!!!

    I can't even begin to count then men who wanted me 2 become their BABY MOMMA and as quick as they said that was as QUICK as i was out!!!!!

    no matter what any single mother says this is the truth…….. U WILL ALWYAS BE JUST THE BM (unless there was a divorce)….you may NEVER hear him say it, but when he's around his boys and they're all talking about their BM'S trust me sweetie you're in there too!!!!!

    I WILL NEVER BE A BABY MOMMA and a lot of that stems from the fact that MY MOMMY ISN'T A BABY MOMMA…..SHE IS THE WIFE!!!!

  • Melodee

    @Keitha

    I agree 200% with your comment. Being in the same situation and a devoted reader of NWSO I can understand his POV from having the same mentality when I was younger and without child, but when God felt it was time for a change, time for me to receive the blessing of a beautiful little lady, my mentality changed with it. Therefore I side with you (since we single mothers have to stick together) and opt to say parenting is not always for everyone at any given time, yet in due time. When my husband is 'ready' for me, he will come accepting of this package deal.

    and for the record I like your definition of baby mama but to be called that is dependent on the situation.

    -(not the baby mama) "I'm HER mother"

    • mya

      sorry but God didnt bless you with a child, YOU GOT PREGNANT! God would have prefered if you didnt put the cart before the horse!

      but you sound like a good mother anyways :)

      • Jey H.

        Umm..mya..

        She got pregnant and was BLESSED WITH A CHILD FROM GOD! What dont you understand from that?

        • somethingdifferent

          she got pregnant out of wedlock ya dumb rascal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • QuoteMan

    I couldn’t be any more at odds with this post. My gripe against it is that – it creates a host of misconceptions that is incongruous with reason. All told, I don’t think any rational and competent individual set out to become a “baby mama” and “baby daddy”. Life as we know it could turn on its head. In short, sh*t happens.

    Sure, we should all strive to become husbands and wives. However, it’s equally important if not greater to strive to be great fathers and mothers, should we fall short of becoming husbands and wives. With that said, a great mother would get my vote any day over a great wife.

    Lucky me, I’ve in a great mother to my 6 yr old son. Although, things didn’t panned out as planned, we remain the best of friends. And for that, I’m forever grateful. (A story I’ve shared on NWSO before).

    Still and all, I give a lot of weight to your opinion but it didn’t come across quite well as you intended.

  • http://www.NWSO.net NWSO

    @Kimberly

    Point taken in regards to the term "baby mama" coming across as encompassing any woman with a child and is single, be it divorce, death, etc.

    What I was looking to address was the term baby mama itself and convey that no one should look to be one or to have one. My opening stance was to convey a need and desire to be wives, husbands, and parents, but I won't front like I didn't trail off into a more broad angle that my short word count could not encapsulate.

    Still, my preference to date single folks without kids is still my preference, but that does not mean it's a definitive end all be all. We all have red flags and things we want in a mate, I happen to want a woman without child so that in the event that we evolve into husband and wife that we can share the experience of birthing our children together. However, I am open-minded enough (at times) to see a person as a whole and more than just a single mom or baby mama. What I want/prefer has nothing to do with what I need or will ultimately end up with. All I can do is play my part in not being a baby daddy or making a baby mama to the best of my ability. I just pray that my future Mrs. is working to do the same.

    But I am the product of a single parent household so I would never disrespect the work of single moms but i still have an ideal of what i want my family structure to be—together. Isn't that something we should all at least strive for?

  • http://www.NWSO.net NWSO

    @Newbie

    Thanx, I think that's part of the problem in that the men are more easily accepted because they are NOT usually the caregivers, so the issue of having constant reminders of his past relationship is not always there. On the flip side, when a man dates a woman with kids and they fall in love etc, he is essentially dating her AND her kids. Not saying it's right or wrong, but sadly it's the way things have been constructed within current society framework. Men generally get off scott free, while women get left holding the proverbial bag.

  • Newbie99

    @ Bridgette, thanks for posting that link.

    I have to say though that they are in the minority. I know we all want to believe and be hopeful that it isn't so but it is. Women are more accepting in this area. You will find a woman openly accepting a man with one or more kids from one or more women than you will a man with a woman with a child (lets not even go into children from multiple men).

    A woman is always (even in marriage) the primary caregiver to the kids. A woman with kids has a lot of balancing to do to fit in a man in her life. The man is not the father of her children or husband so it makes it harder. NWSO, great post.

  • alwayz

    I am not with my daughter father any more and we don't see each other as baby mama/daddy. We was married for 6yr an things didn't work but we have a good relationship now as friends. We both have moved on with life, we have an understanding that as long as the person that we are dating don't hurt our child it's fine. I feel that a mother/father shouldn't bring someone around the child until they know that the relationship is going some where.

  • http://blackbridalbliss.com/ Bridgette

    While you certainly have a right to your opinion (to each their own), there are Black men who don't mind settling down with a woman with children as the dude in this story demonstrated:

    http://blackbridalbliss.com/?p=1

    I don't think he is as much of a minority as society leads us to believe.

  • Cali_Bred

    I am only 24, but when I was 18-19 I loved females who had kids. They would only call me in the evenings, never would I see the child and it was basically her on the hunt for me, not the me chasing her. Now that I am a couple of years older, women with kids aren't off the market but they are not the first choice only cuz I want my time. And I can't stand the term baby mama or baby daddy. If a parent is taking care of their business and doesn't have any drama then I don't consider them a baby mama/daddy. Now if y'all on maury, cops being called, and back and fourth to court, then you get the term

  • http://liferequiresmorechocolate.com Tiffany

    I am not with my childrens' father and if I ever heard that he referred to me as his "baby mama", I would castrate him. Of course there was always the idea that we were going to be together and it just didn't work. Not all black look at it like NWSO (love his blog), some are willing and able to take on the challenge without any hesitation. Men just need to listen when it comes to "baby mamas". All are not created equal. Some actually get along with their kids father and has a decent schedule that allows for a love life.

    Peace, Love and Chocolate

    Tiffany

  • Guest

    OMG! Will you marry me?

  • somethingdifferent

    go Mya!