The one thing to keep in mind when you're dating women with kids is that it is a package deal. Guys don't often think of these things when they see a woman they're attracted to and she whips out a picture of her cute 2-year-old. You kind of put that in the back of your mind because she is so hot (in your eyes) and you'll worry about meeting her child later.

A year or two later, you're taking the little man to the dentist and running other errands as the father figure, wondering how you went from a single guy without a care in the world to "Mr. Mom."

We see it all the time, and not just as it relates to women and kids. A lot of times guys never consider the long-term implications of what happens after she agrees to give you her number. If there are certain long-term things that you can't deal with, then don't start with her to begin with.

The bottom line is, if you don't want a family now, don't ask a girl out that has kids. I'm not telling you what to do one way or the other but please don't waste her time if you're not ready to be dad.

Asking for the number has a strange way of turning into dates and dates have a strange way of turning into a relationship.

All right, say you are a guy that doesn't mind having kids and you actually welcome it. Remember, there are going to be potential landmines with the dad who's no longer in the picture. Also, the children might not exactly be excited that you've entered mom's life and even openly hostile to the idea.

You also have to watch out for her if she's trying to put the children in your face too soon. I completely respect and understand that if a woman is falling for you, she'll naturally want to involve her children at some point because you're heading towards a time when you'll be a family unit.

However, that is much different from a woman who wants you to take the children out early on. First of all, that's a group date and you shouldn't be doing any group dates with her in the first couple months and second, what is the message here? Be with me and my children now. I don't trust a lady that wants me to meet the kids too soon because what does that say about her as a mother (and a person) when she is allowing complete strangers (which you are to each other in the first couple months) to meet her children?

Of course, it's a little different if you're both 55 and her "kids" are in their mid-20s. You still don't want a group date but I'd give her more of a break if she introduced me to her adult kids as opposed to a woman that had me meet her toddler way early on.

On the dating women radio show that I co-host, we had a caller that was all entangled in a lot of family drama simply because he was in a serious relationship with a woman that had a nutty ex-husband and 3 children that were definitely sided against him. He loved the woman, but the situation was affecting him to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. You better understand while you're dating her what all the family dynamics are because someday you could be right in the middle of them.

Remember guys, dating women with kids is fine, as long as you know what you're getting into.