I’ve been dating this guy for a few weeks now, & it’s slowly getting more serious.

He has a kid & that has been weird for me because I’ve never dated anyone with adolescents before.

Having to share his attention with her has been different, but I’m getting used to it. We’ve gotten to a point where he’s entrusted me to babysit her, so we’ve been bonding more. Last time she was here it was absolutely cold & I had the oil furnace turned on so that she could suppose as comfortable as possible. I wanted to turn on the fireplace but was afraid that it would be too dangerous with a small child running around. She started to cry & throw a raging fit, so I thought maybe the fireplace would be both entertaining & calming for her. I began to start up the electric fireplace & she watched in awe & admiration. Once the fireplace was turned on, I made us both some hot chocolate & every one of us sat in front of it. She immediately calmed down & stared at the fireplace for various minutes before looking at me & smiling. It was in that moment that I remembered how powerful Earth’s elements are, that a fireplace can calm down a screaming child’s tantrum almost instantly. I wish I had a real fireplace so that she could also smell the wood burning, but I believe the electric one still did the trick. We played games & read books before she fell asleep on our lap. I’m so glad that she is having a nice time with me because I absolutely like her dad.
central air conditioning