Back in the day, when I was young...no, really, I'm not that old! I was a single parent for about five years before I remarried.
My only suggestion would be that you don't introduce the date to the difficult child unless it becomes a serious relationship. I was teaching during the day, had Miss KT velcroed to my butt the rest of the time, and I was so sick of kid stuff I could (and did) scream! I wanted to go out and talk to adults! I wanted someone to bring me food, on a plate, so I could eat with a fork like a civilized person, instead of grabbing grub out of a bag! I wanted to dress up and have some cute guy tell me I looked lovely!
I understand.