In this episode of Mommy in Chief we have a special treat! The fabulous actress and comedian Kym Whitley stopped by the studio to share her joys of being a new mom, her organization and new show “Raising Whitley” airing every Saturday at 9pm on OWN.

For more information about Kym Whitley’s Don’t Feed Me Campaign, visit dontfeedme.org

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After sharing a guest-post on step-parenting from the step-child’s point of view, one commenter asked an interesting question: “Should a man with no kids be hesitant to date a woman with kids?” First, whether a man has children of his own or not, there is nothing wrong with preferring to date women without children. We are all free to make up whatever dating preferences we want. They are called personal preferences for a reason and we don’t need the approval of anyone else when it comes to what we like. However, there are a few things childless men should keep in mind when deciding whether they are ready to date a woman with a child, or children. Women, would you agree on the following?

Figure out if you like or want kids BEFORE dating a woman with children.

When you are single and looking to mingle, you generally will not hurt anyone if you start dating “just to see where things go.” Plenty of men do this all the time. But when deciding to date a woman with a child, you should be clear about your expectations for the relationship upfront with yourself and her. In other words, if you’re still in the “dating just to date” phase of your life, involving a woman with a child is probably not the type of relationship you should engage in because your actions will more than likely impact the lives of two people — the woman and the child. While the age of the child plays a factor, if you’re not looking for anything serious, you shouldn’t play the “I’ll figure it out” game with a ready-made family.

Further, if you’re not a kid person or don’t want kids, you should not date a woman with kids to see if you’ll change your mind. This is not a video game that you can turn off when you decide you do not like how the game is playing out. That is a personal decision you should figure out long before you involve a woman and her child in your life. Save the games for the rest of the single people in the world who do not have the responsibility of looking out for the emotional well-being of themselves and their child.

Do you want kids of your own?

I’m always surprised at how few people discuss this topic upfront. Some women with children do not want any more kids, and this is an awkward conversation to have after you have already exchanged “I love yous” or “I dos.” If you want one or two kids and she already has one or two kids, this is a conversation you should have sooner rather than later. In addition, if you do not want any (biological) kids of your own, do not assume that just because she has one or more child from a previous relationship that she does not want anymore with you.

You are not in first place.

As a continuation of the above point, one of the hardest changes for many single men who decide to date a woman with a child is realizing they are not in first place. In general, the needs of the children come first. This is a hard adjustment for many men to make because when you’re single and don’t have any kids, you can be as selfish as you want. People with children are used to (hopefully) putting the needs of their children before their own. I have friends who have gotten upset because a woman they are dating has to drop everything for their child. This makes not one iota of sense. A woman should not be placed in a position to choose between the child she loves and the man she likes. If you don’t understand that, then you aren’t ready for this type of relationship and it is best if you do not bother wasting her time or yours.

How is the relationship with her baby’s father?

I’ve written on whether you need the baby’s father approval before  — and for the record, no you do not. But while the relationship with the father of the woman’s child should not dictate your relationship, their relationship –- whether good or bad –- will play a role in your lives. It’s important to know what you are getting yourself into. Before your relationship gets serious, you should know what role, if any, the baby’s father has in the child’s life, and what type of relationship the two parents have with one another. Contrary to popular belief — and Lifetime movies — not every woman with a child is looking for a second parent if the biological parent is actively involved in the child’s life and doing a good, low-drama job of co-parenting. An honest conversation about this should minimize the chances of you making a surprise cameo on a VH1 reality show.

What do you think? Should a man without kids hesitate to date a woman with kids?  If you are a step parent or single mother, what advice would you offer a man to know if he is ready to date a woman with kids from a previous relationship?

WisdomIsMisery, aka WIM, uses his background as an internal auditor to provide objective, yet opinionated, qualitative and quantitative analysis on life, love, and everything in between. WIM is not a model, a model citizen, or a role model. See more of WIM on his weekly write-ups for SBM, on Twitter @WisdomIsMisery, and Instagram: WisdomIsMisery.

About This Episode

It’s our very first cooking episode! That’s right we’re diving in and cooking on the set of Mommy In Chief  to celebrate Moms on Mother’s Day. Instead of taking Mom out to a fancy restaurant this Mother’s Day, we’re demonstrating how to prepare a tasty brunch for her right at home. Chef Mark McLean of Remarkable Cuisine  is showing us all how to make Cereal Crusted French Toast. 

About Chef Mark McLean

Mark McLean is a personal chef and owner of Remarkable Cuisine, LLC.  Remarkable Cuisine is the culmination of Chef Marks 4 years of private chef services and experience in catering over 200  events. Through Remarkable Cuisine, Chef Mark displays his skill set and passion in the kitchen.  ”I am not here to present a standard or ordinary fare that is “good” or a “decent option”. I attack an ingredient, menu, and dish like the rest of things in my life — with a strong knowledge base and hard work that will make that dish shine,” as quoted by Chef Mark on his company’s website.  Chef Mark is committed to creating a unique and tasty experience in all his dishes, so you’re definitely in for a treat with his Cereal Crusted French Toast.

Cereal Crusted French Toast With Berry Compote

Ingredients:

1 Loaf French bread

3 cups cereal, crushed fine

3 dashes cinnamon

3 cups raspberries (or another berry) fresh or frozen

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

1 cup cream (light if available)

2 cups milk

2 cups water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

Berry Compote

In a medium saucepan, add half the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the raspberries and sugar and reduce heat. Simmer until berries break and release their juices, about 7 minutes or so. Taste. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat, taste again and cover to keep warm.

French Toast
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, and add the cream and milk. Mix well, and then sprinkle in the cinnamon.  Add egg/cream mixture to a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, add the ground cereal. Slice load bread on a bias in half inch to inch pieces.

Let’s cook:
Place a sauté pan over medium heat. Add half tbsp. butter and a tbsp. of oil.

Place a slice of bread in the egg mixture, saturating both sides, then in the ground cereal, then to the pan.
Repeat with another piece, but be careful not to crowd the pan. Cook on one side until golden brown,
about 3 minutes, then flip and repeat with the other side. Remove from pan to paper towel lined plate and
place in oven on warm until remaining pieces are finished.

Serve French toast with berry compote drizzled on top and whip cream. Take a picture and enjoy.

About Karyn Parsons

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First dates, or dates in general, can be nerve wrecking, anxious, and exciting all at the same time. For many of us, we are going out with a guy we are actually interested in and want to make a good impression. For the rest, maybe it’s just for a free meal. Either way, there are always a lot of things to think about before you go out on with someone. Like these 14 things.

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When you were a kid, all you needed was your crew and a warm sunny day to have a ball. There was no sitting in the house, bored stiff with nothing to do. You would run wildly, like your life depended on it, from the kid chosen as “it” or play one of these other classic childhood games. Which were your favorite?

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When you are in a rush, it’s easy to skip cooking dinner and resort to grabbing take-out meals for your family instead. But not all parents do this out of laziness or exhaustion from a long, rough day at work. There are times when healthier dining-out options for children do not seem readily available to the unclothed eye. Hopefully this list of kid-friendly, health-conscious restaurants will ease your fears.

Picture this: Saturday mornings, a big bowl of Cookie Crisps nestled in your lap as you sat cross-legged on the couch in front of the TV. It was cartoon time at its finest. You worked hard all week at school, and now it was time to relax, get your munch on, and absorb all the colorful, funny characters and storylines weekend cartoons had to offer. Sure the cartoons today are cute and entertaining with its sometimes adult humor, but there’s something nostalgic about the hilarious, goober-goofy toons we grew up on in the 80′s.

Smurfs

La, la – la, la, la, la. Papa smurf and the rest of the tiny, blue gang had us rooting for them in their mushroom-housed village and booing the hated Gargamel and his pesky pet cat, Azreal.

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From YourTango

By Dr. Matt Morris

In counseling families, I often ask teens if they are sexually active. Some say, “yes” and others say, “not yet.” None of them ask what sex is. That’s right, by the time kids are 14 and up, they all seem to know some information about having sex.

But where are they learning this information? School? Their friends? Grey’s Anatomy? Pornography? Every parent should talk to their kids about sex, beginning at an early age in a non-shaming way and throughout the child’s development. In this post, I’ll describe an overview of how to talk to your kids about sex at any age.

1. Very young children. Talk to toddlers about their bodies. Teach them the names of all their body parts, including their genitals. Teach them the anatomically correct names and then use a nickname if desired. Also begin to teach them (in a non-threating way) that some body parts are private and that private parts are not to be displayed to others or touched by others. Private parts are private — ”for your eyes only” (excluding parents and physicians).

2. Pre-school kids. Continue to talk to them about their bodies. Answer their questions with short, accurate, age-appropriate answers. You don’t have to give all the information — just enough to satisfy their curiosity. Don’t be embarrassed by their questions or make your children feel ashamed for wondering about their bodies. Continue to teach them about private parts and “stranger danger” without scaring them. And if they are touching their own genitals (little boys often put their hands in their pants), teach them not to do this in public and that this is a private activity. Again, no shame.

Read more on YourTango.com.

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From Your Tango

Valentines Day is here, and love is in the air. To be honest, these days it warrants little more than a mention for me and my husband. After 20 years and 2 children together, the over-priced bouquets and twinkling trinkets have lost their appeal. Him doing the laundry every Sunday morning? Now that‘s a major turn-on.—

For our daughter, though, Valentines Day is a pretty big deal. She’s just about 7 years old and, like a lot of little girls, is enamored with hearts and flowers and the idea of love.

“I’m not in love with anyone,” she complained the other day from her carseat.

“That’s okay,” I told her. “You have lots of time to be in love.”

“Well, I was going to get married to someone,” she said, emphasizing the past tense. “But now I’m not.

Read the rest of the story on YourTango.com.

Image Source: Thewildmagazine.com

Jillian Hervey