Dating and being a single parent is difficult even under the best of circumstances. But when you’re in the midst of a global pandemic, it can feel almost impossible.
Recently, Drew Barrymore sat down with Queer Eye ‘s Bobby Berk for an honest and tearful discussion about the realities of being a single mom and learning how to discover the bravery within yourself.
We all know that the harsh realities of the dating world can be challenging — to say the least.
The first step in putting yourself out there is fostering a willingness to be vulnerable. This doesn’t always come easy and becomes increasingly more difficult the older we get.
When you add children and a global pandemic into the mix, these challenges multiply tenfold.
The life of a single parent has always been a hard road to navigate. You have to stop thinking of yourself as an “I” and begin viewing life through the lens of “We.”
No one is immune from this type of thinking, not even our favorite A-list celebrities in Hollywood.
Recently, Drew Barrymore sat down with Queer Eye ‘s Bobby Berk to dish on what it’s like being a single mother navigating the dating waters in Tinsel Town.
The hostess of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ couldn’t hold back her tears as she bared her soul to Bobby.
“I don’t know how to date with kids, you know? I’m not there yet. I have two young girls, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to bring people home ,’” Barrymore said through stifled sobs.
“I think that it would take me very long to meet someone and get to know them before I could even ever introduce them to my daughters,” Barrymore said.
True to form, Bobby was there to offer up some quintessential Queer Eye sage advice. “I don’t think anybody knows how to do anything ‘right’,” Bobby began . “So don’t put that pressure on yourself that you ‘don’t know how to do it’.”
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“I think going into it, saying to yourself ‘I don’t know how to do it,’ is the first step of figuring out how to do it,” Bobby reasoned.
Bobby also explained that people who go into any given situation, thinking that they have everything figured out, are usually the ones who wind up failing.
“You’re thinking about that, and you’re thinking about how it’s going to affect them, and you’re being careful about it — which means you’re a good mom.”
After their emotional conversation, Barrymore sat down to do a segment with CBS Mornings . Co-host Gayle King wanted to dive deeper by asking Drew where the emotion came from.
Drew said that her conversation with Bobby made her have an epiphany.
Before that point in time, Drew had never said aloud to herself, or anyone else for that matter, that she didn’t know how to date while still taking care of young kids.
Before that, she always assured herself that it was her choice — that she was the one who simply wasn’t ready.
After she had her conversation with Bobby and harnessed her bravery, she realized that it wasn’t a lack of desire but rather a lack of knowledge as to how to progress forward.
Drew went on to explain how she’s been single for six years, and in that time she’s only been on a handful of dates.
The pandemic only made matters worse, as Drew said that Zoom calls reminded her about the depressing state of the world. However, after her interaction with the Queer Eye squad, she feels like she’s discovered a rejuvenated sense of self.
At this point, Drew says she’s looking for someone who isn’t interested in marriage or having any more children.
“This is not just about me being stuck,” Barrymore explained . “This is about; when you’re a single mom, it’s a dynamic that I have probably not been able to figure out yet — and that’s OK to have patience with ourselves.”
