Must Love Kids follows three single mothers on their quest to find love. When Kristin commented on my blog recently, I followed up and asked if she’d agree to an interview. She said “yes”!
Get this: Must Love Kids found 33-year-old Kristin through her local Meetup group for single parents!
Kristin — a patent agent and mother of three kids — says that she’d joined Meetup “so I could go on some weekend outings with other single parents and show my kids that our lives aren’t that far from the norm.”
Although Kristin is now a national celebrity, what we mostly talked about was the fact that she really misses her kids right now. She’s incredibly sweet! As you’ll see, they’re on a trip with their dad this week–
During Episode 2, the moms met their “suitors” for a group day trip. Kristin got to go to the beach with “her bachelors,” in order to decide whom she wants to move forward with and who to let go.
Q: How did it feel to go on a group date with all those guys? What pressure! You seem so poised and natural.
Kristin: “The idea of a group date scared me. It wasn’t until we were sitting eating dinner on the first night, with six attentive men hanging on my every word, that I realized just how much harder dating would be in this situation. The added complexities of cameras were obvious, but what I hadn’t taken into consideration was that the difficulty of gauging each man’s sincerity had just gotten a million times more difficult. I caught myself thinking several times that I was now in a situation where these men were supposed to want to get to know me. They were almost obligated – at least for a few weeks!”
At the end of the day, only four hopefuls were left: David, Jason, Chris, and Luke. Then, last week, Kristin went on her first formal dates with Luke and David. This is also when the men got to meet Kristin’s children. What did you explain to your kids about these guys coming over to pick you up?
Kristin: “I didn’t do a lot of dating before the show. When I did have a date, I would try to schedule it after the kids were asleep. I’d let the kids know when I put them to bed that I would be going out and that grandma would be here if they needed anything… If they had more questions — say, about whom I was meeting — we’d discuss it further. But usually we just left it at that. I haven’t made it a practice of introducing people I date to my children unless there’s something more serious developing.”
Q: So, being on the show was a big transition for you and your kids?
Kristin: “Yes. I decided to take a chance and try something very different from our every day lives just for a few weeks, but my kids, mom, and I still handled it in much the same way. I would tell my kids where I was going, and with whom. My mom would stay with them.”
So, Luke — a father of two who’s in the U.S. Navy — came to pick up Kristin. Her daughter said about Luke, “His tattoos are cool.” Kristin and Luke went kayaking together, and then chatted about Disney on Ice over dinner.
When David – also a father of two — arrived, he was not empty-handed: he had a huge box of pastries for Kristin’s kids. (It was really cute when Kristin exclaimed, “Holy Toledo!”)
He brought a Boggle game to the restaurant! “David plays every single day,” Kristin says. “After stumbling through, I proudly kept up with him.”
Q: Lastly, your ex isn’t mentioned… Is he in the picture?
Kristin: “At the moment, my ex is in Wisconsin, visiting his parents with the kids. I’m missing them terribly! But I’m also so grateful that they have this time with him and that he is still in the picture. He lives on the opposite coast, so the kids are with me full time. However he tries to visit them once a month for a weekend.”
Your turn! Is there anything you’re dying to ask Kristin? Go ahead! Kristin is game for answering your questions.
Don’t be shy!
Top photo of Kristin; bottom photo of Kristin on group date. Courtesy of TLC
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Read the book! Single Mom Seeking is a tell-all about how to date and remain a dedicated and involved parent. It’s a spunky, sexy, and moving chronicle of the humor, pitfalls, and rewards of balancing it all — single-mom style. |
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Wow, Kristin sounds really together! Plus, she’s a hottie. Where does she hide out in real life?
Here’s my question – she says a big group date made it hard to gauge sincerity. Does she have that same feeling when she goes on Meetup adventures? I mean, isn’t it sort of the same thing?
I very much prefer meeting a woman one-on-one than in a group setting. I tend to lay back in groups, but shine when solo. If I was on the show, I probably wouldn’t do well at all.
Hi Kristin!! I just wanted to say I have really enjoyed this show and look forward to watching it each week.
My ? for Kristin…
Is Meetup all over the US or just a California thing? I really need something to get me out of the house.
DADSHOUSE: I think I’m blushing…did you just call me a ‘hottie’?? On my best days, the highest I’ve ever aspired to is nerd gone wild, so that’s pretty awesome – thanks!
As for your question, the difficulties I initially faced in gauging “suitor” sincerity had more to do with the reality of Reality than the group setting. It wasn’t the throw-back to junior high with the group dating that tripped me up so much as getting to know someone on TV. I think cameras make people behave a bit differently than they might otherwise, & I also found myself thinking about the men’s reasons for wanting to be on TV, feeling unsure that they’d be candid about their past relationships, etc., knowing that their answers were going to be televised. My brain went on & on until I realized that these men very reasonably could & would have all of those same doubts and questions about me & my motivations and my sincerity, so we did just have to try & enjoy the situation and get to know each other as best we could.
So far as Meetup groups are concerned, I was aware that there were many more single moms than dads in my local group, and I didn’t join with dating or romance in mind – and never dated anyone from the group. For my kids and I we were there exclusively to make friends.
Mom2Maddie99:
Thank you!! Meetup groups are most places & I highly recommend them – I first heard about them on NPR & I guess they’re hit & miss, but there are all different events and groups – one that I keep wanting to participate in has full moon and after work hikes, they have groups for music, theater, movies, food, wine, & happy hour aficionados – and with our local single parents group we’ve had dinner together, gone berry picking, and visited the aquarium
Hi Kristin – I just wanted to say that I really enjoy the show. I’m so happy to see that TLC is shining the spotlight on single moms! It’s very enjoyable to watch you because you’re very articulate and look like you easily balance a successful career with being a single mom – You are a superb representative for us single moms!! I don’t know how you do it with 3 children – but it must help to have your mom live with you -I would give anything to have my mom move in with me for an extra set of hands!! (She lives in the midwest, so it won’t be happening any time soon…:)
I’m a single mom with a 3 yr old son in Connecticut. I’ve got a career that I love, but one of my greatest challenges is carving out time for myself (like a daily run!!) without incurring huge babysitting costs and/or GUILT!
Any tips? Good luck tonight! I’m cheering that you find your love. PS I hear Dadshouse is available. lol!
Wow! Dating was hard enough with ONE guy…can’t imagine doing it on tv with more than one.
Although, they all look really hot–so the sympathy isn’t completely there….
Good luck!
Single Mom in New England:
Thank you! It definitely helps to have my mom there, though I haven’t had her around the whole time I’ve been single, so I do have a few suggestions (okay – I have a gazillion of them & I’m going to try not to offer too many & hope that you won’t walk away wishing you’d never asked me!)
My M.O. is to at least begin getting to know someone without the kids around, but HOW? I don’t want to miss time with my kids! Personally, I make time for dating after they go to bed. This eliminates a LOT – if you don’t live by a lot of late restaurants and 24 hour joints aren’t your thing, it’s difficult to arrive in time to share a nice dinner. Dessert, or a drink, or a cup of coffee work better for me, in the beginning at least. Also, possible sources for reliable and cheap childcare: best friend (they don’t have to be parents or have kids, they just have to be a familiar face & able to cope with dialing a phone to get instructions from you or cooing from you for your little one, or fetching a glass of water, or escorting on a late night potty trip), other single parents that you’re friends with, or your ex. These can work on a barter system – you can sign up for Netflix & get your friends’ favorite movies, or bake dessert as a bribe – I’ve done a lot to beat back the guilt monster, but in the end I found I was a better friend, mother, daughter, and partner when I accepted help instead of obstinately refusing assistance.
You’re at a difficult age – 3 year old boys can be unpredictable – sleep patterns, bed times, naps might be getting weened out – there are some complications as they’re maturing to an easier age. If it’s not possible for you or if you don’t feel comfortable with someone staying with him after he goes to bed (you think it will make him insecure, or you don’t feel right about it) – for the interim, I assume you have daycare for him while you work? If so, if you’re anything like me, think of how many times you’ve skipped lunch & worked straight through, gobbling down something sitting in front of your computer screen. Well, don’t. Take some adult time for lunch, OR – after eating your lunch at your desk & skimping on you time, indulge yourself in a run (after your food has settled, of course!). I’m lucky because a lot of people at my work do that and it’s accepted, but I’d bet you could justify even to workplace clock-watchers that you’re using your lunch time, maybe even just twice a week, to have some YOU time. What I’ve done when none of the above were possible (and yes, there were those times), is I made nights my special time. I made sure bedtime was at a decent hour for them and for me and I used the last couple hours in my day to journal, even bring my laptop & sit outside with the baby monitor to feel more like I’m taking a break & getting away for a bit, and it worked wonders.
I’m happy there are moms like us, to cheer each other on in finding the right balance, the right love, and an even happier life & thank you so much for writing!
Melissa – Thank you for the luck, I’ll be needing it!
And for you both – the show seems to have been moved to this Saturday at noon for the new episode, however the website is saying it will be Sundays at noon, so once that confusion gets resolved I’ll let you know! It’s always easier to cheer someone on when you know when the heck they need the cheering!
Arrghhhh! I was so looking forward to watching it tonight during my ME time! I will set the DVR for Sat. now – thanks for the heads up. I hope the shift in time doesn’t mean they are thinking about losing the show…?? I’d be heartbroken! Thanks for the great answer. It does take strength to carve out the me time – but a run a couple days a week at noon is a great solution. We do have quite a few clock watchers at work that I will just have to placate with brownies!! My sanity’s worth it.
I was a little worried tonight…thinking my DVR had failed me of that my daughter had recorded her Cheetah Girls movie instead when the show didn’t record…but then I saw it was scheduled for Saturday!! Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the update Kristin! As I told you by email, I don’t quite get the time change… Who, as a single parent, watches TV on Sunday at noon?
There are birthday parties to attend, along with baseball games, back-to-school shopping. TLC? Hello?
Thanks for your great response to Melissa about YOU time!
Single Mom Seeking – I TOTALLY agree – who are they targeting at noon on a weekend??? Do they think Single moms are sitting around on their couches in the middle of the day? Time to do a demographic check!
Must Love Kids TIME CHANGE: To the best of my knowledge, after a lot of trying to chase down the truth, it seems that the show’s time has been changed to SATURDAYS AT NOON(11am central).
ALSO, (in light of what singlemomseeking has said, which I happen to agree with) I was told that there are a lot of changes at TLC right now, this is one of many, and IF ANY OF YOU DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD TIME, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW HERE: http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations.
Maybe we can make a difference, or complain more effectively – maybe not – it’d be interesting to find out, though, wouldn’t it? Only takes 2 minutes!
After navigating thru 6 or 7 screens I was finally able to post my comment, (sometimes 2 minutes seems like a really long time)
“To the powers that be, Must Love Kids is an amazing show and 9:00 on Tuesdays was such a fantastic time to watch. This show is marketed to single parents and what better way to relax and wind down after the kids are tucked in than to watch our favorite show on TLC……. but it’s not there any more…. so I had to channel surf and ended up with the television turned off. And to make matters worse, you are now airing on Saturday at noon????? Our family and most families I know with kids are out enjoying their weekends with the kids. We certainly aren’t sitting in front of the TV! Change it back please. I’d like to continue watching.”
Thanks, Kristin for posting the link.
…. and the response……
Dear Viewer:
Thank you for contacting Discovery Communications; we appreciate your
interest and taking the time to reach out.
Due to the volume of mail received, we are unable to personally answer each
one. However, our Viewer Relations department will do their best to review
and respond to as many inquiries as possible within a timely manner.
In the meantime, please be sure to check out http://www.discovery.com where you
can find information on each of our networks, including programming and
schedules, as well as information on how to buy DVDs of our shows. Our
family of US networks include: Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet,
Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, The Science Channel,
Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel, HD
Theater, FitTV, Discovery en Espanol and Discovery Familia. We also
distribute the Travel Channel, BBC America and BBC World in the United
States.
Thank you again for your interest in Discovery’s networks!
Sincerely,
Discovery Communications’ Viewer Relations Team
Wow, thanks for the updates David and Kristin! Whew.
A SECOND RESPONSE…….Dear Viewer:
Thank you for contacting Discovery Networks. We appreciate you taking the
time to share your thoughts and concerns with us. Your comments will be
forwarded to our program management and executives and will be taken into
consideration. Comments such as yours are very important to us, as viewer
opinions tell us what we can improve on and what our audience enjoys. It
is these types of comments that contribute to creating change and improving
programming.
Thank you again for expressing your interest in our programming.
Sincerely,
Viewer Relations
Discovery Networks
….. Does this mean they are listening??????
Thanks for the updates David! I don’t think they’re listening.
It’s ironic that TLC is now sending me personal press releases to see if I want to blog about their new show, “Take Home Nanny.”
The covers MARRIED couples who have discipline problems with their kids. The first episode?
“Nanny Emma goes to visit the DiSomma- Faretras family. With three clingy daughters and a husband that is of no help, Mom is worried…”
I’m sorry, but I don’t see the connection to my readers at Single Mom Seeking. Do you?
I watched an episode of “Take Home Nanny” and found the show to be uplifting….. ( Thank god my kids don’t act like that.) Still, we can all use some parenting advice from time to time right? Besides, from the episode that I saw, If Nanny Emma hadn’t come in in create peace, harmony, and re-kindled love between the spouses there would have been one more single mom seeking!
Have a great day and keep up your great writings.
Very nice.
Please bring the show back to tuesdays I spend my weekends with my kids and family I don’t watch alot or any tv on the weekend
Kristin,
You’re never going to believe what made me watch the show…the fact that you are a patent agent! I’ve been an agent for many years (40,926) and my kids were watching TV one day and literally yelled “MOM — THERE IS A FAMOUS PRETTY WOMAN ON TV AND SHE IS A PATENT AGENT LIKE YOU!”. Too funny. Although I literally watch maybe 30min of shows/month (…not counting Dora, Backyardigans, etc.), I couldn’t resist watching and made time. Normally a program on dating isn’t up my alley (we have 6 kids – 5, 7, 9, and 11yr boys, 13, and 15yr girls), work full-time as an in-house corporate patent agent and I’ve been married over 21 years, but you have a wonderful sense of humor and I look forward to watching every week. I can’t even imagine how you juggled your docket while filming a show!
My husband and I also lived in San Diego back in the early 1990s before we had kids and before I took the patent bar (…back when you had to draft claims on the exam). I’m guessing you have a pharma/ChemE background. I stick primarily to EE/applied mathematics.
After San Diego, we moved back “home” to Wisconsin. Can you believe we moved back to Wisconsin after living in La Jolla for 4 years? The things we do for our families! Take care and I wish you the best of luck. I can’t wait to see how things turn out.
Lisa – sorry it took me forever to see your comment, but thank you so much!!! I don’t know who the h*ll the famous pretty woman your child was talking about was, but the patent agent was/is me! Hooray for nerds!! I’ve been doing this for seven years now & I’m the in-house agent at a biotech in La Jolla and juggling the docket was NOT easy, and it’s so funny that you’d mention that! There was one all-nighter that I pulled, after going on an elaborate date and wrapping up a 12 hour day of filming, I came in to work & slunk out before the first early bird showed up! Other than that I had to take vacation, of course, because there’s nothing non-confidential enough for them to be able to film.
I’m originally from Minnesota, so the thought of moving from San Diego to Wisconsin is … impossible, quite frankly. But that’s because of my Viking loyalties
Thank you so much to you & your family for watching & for the luck – I’ll be needing it!
Kristin,
You should come to the May 2009 AIPLA annual meeting at Hotel Del — you’ll be the most (and only) recognized amongst all us geeks (at least the Patent Agent Subcommittee folks)!
I’m cheering for the Navy guy on the show since I married one myself so many years ago and it turned out pretty darn good (…which is why we ended up near Point Loma — he was a surface nuke). Your kids are adorable and I can’t tell you how satisfying life gets when you’re in a healthy marriage and the kids get older. Even with 6 in the house (including teenage girls) we look forward to every day and the chaos that inevitably ensues. What a fantastic role model you are for your children!
Kristin,
I’ve really been enjoying watching all three of you ladies on the show. Watching how loving you are with your kids makes me want to be a better mom!
I was wondering, though, where you got that dress you wore on your final date with Chris (the one in carriage)?
Thanks!
Heather
Lisa – Thank you so much!!! I’m already planning on attending the AIPLA meeting & hopefully I’ll have a chance to meet you there
Heather – the dress… Well, let’s just say that eye makeup is/was not my only shortcoming! So, more than two weeks of filming left me with nothing fancy/appropriate left to wear for my date. On Saturday’s episode when I said, “I have only half an hour & nothing to wear” – I wasn’t kidding! The black lace sheer overdress I wore was a $10 thrift store find by “twentyone” (this means nothing to me, but I’m hoping it might help…?) but I’d never actually worn it out, because I had nothing to wear under it! So, the production crew took pity on me (it’s not easy to run errands while you’re being followed by a reality camera crew, so my options were limited) and someone ran out to buy me the bright red slip, which really made the outfit & I wore it again just last week, so if any of them read this – thanks again!!!
Hi Kristin,
I absolutely loved watching the show. I just finished watching the last episode. I replayed the moment when you told Chris that he was ‘the one’ twice.
I thought his response was heartwarming. I wasn’t sure when the taping of the show actually was and was curious if you and Chris are still dating?
Your kids have a lot of energy, imagination, creativity and an eagerness to learn and that’s wonderful. It shows you have done a fantastic job to raising your kids.
Best Wishes to your family!
Jo
I just watched the last episode a few minutes ago. I was looking on the web for an update to find out how things were going now. I came across this website. How long ago did you tape the last episode? I know there is lots of time before it airs? I am interested to hear how the three of you ladies are doing and if you were able to make a connection with the guys you picked. I feel like we get to know you and now are kind of left hanging?
Kristin, I was intrigued by you the most. I felt that you had a well rounded family life and your great parenting skills showed in your children’s good behavior. I am intrigued also to know, now that the last episode just aired, are you and Chris still together? And if you are, do you see a future for the two of you. I really hope so.
Jo, Lisa, & Heather;
The show finished taping in the second week of May, the total filming/dating time lasted 2 1/2 weeks, and the first show aired July 15th, I think, so there wasn’t a huge amount of time between filming & airing.
I hope you understand, but because of all of the hullabaloo about that same aftermath question on some other websites, I don’t want to recap here & risk sounding biased in some way, if that makes any sense? Rachel had mentioned maybe doing a follow-up interview to answer some of these questions & I would love that – but the long & the short of it is that Chris & I are not together – and without speaking with Vanessa first I can’t say what she’s comfortable sharing about her own situation. I’m sure she’d be alright with my sharing that we’ve talked and we’re both really happy with where we are right now and with the outcome.
Thank you so much for yoru kind words & thanks for watching!!!
-Kristin
What happen to Must Love Kids. You need to qu moving it around. Went to to watch this Saturday and its not on. Where did you move it to now!!!!!!Leave things alone!!!!