Your post touched me. I am not a young widow - I was widowed two weeks prior to my 43rd birthday, and my daughter will be 21 in August. I am responding because I met my deceased spouse 16 years ago when my daughter was 4 and my first marriage was failing. I was worried then that any man would run at the prospect of dating a woman with a young child. I was wrong of course - my deceased spouse welcomed the idea of raising my daughter with me and in fact, was a great step-father to her.

You are right - you have a lot of life left to live. I believe when you meet the right person, he will not duck and run, but rather embrace both you and your daughter. I began dating again around Christmas 2008, and I made a point of not mentioning I was a widow until we were in Open Communication. I am also disabled, so I was worried about coming across as needy - needing someone to take care of me - not at all the impression I wanted to give a prospective date. I have been very blessed to meet and have a wonderful relationship with another young widower who sees me rather than my disability, and though he has no children of his own, he is getting to know my daughter.

I think you should follow your instincts with each new person you meet as to when to share information about yourself and daughter. I don't believe there is a right or wrong approach, but as long as you don't come across as clingy and needy, you should be fine. There are some really good guys out there - it just takes a little time to find them. And, in my case, one was right in front of me and I almost missed the opportunity for a wonderful relationship that we hope will last for years and years.