For adolescents trying to master intimate relationships themselves, watching a parent struggle with the same issues can be especially difficult and unsettling. There is some danger in beginning to date too soon after a divorce. After a marriage ends, most people eventually build a new social life - which often includes dating. Even people who do not, for religious reasons, contemplate remarriage as long as their former spouse is alive, recognize the value of interacting with members of the opposite sex. Whether and how long before dating begins, and how many different dating partners a person has, varies tremendously.
Some people prefer to wait to date until the divorce is final.
For some people, it may take months, or even years, before they feel emotionally ready or have an opportunity to date. And some people begin seeing other people, or one special person, before their marriage is even legally dissolved. This may not be as outrageous as it seems. There will be considerable difference of opinion among divorced people about the right time and right way to begin dating. There is some danger in beginning to date too soon after a divorce.