If you're a single parent getting back into the dating game, it isn't always easy to know when to introduce your child or children to the person you've been seeing.
But one mum has been left particularly outraged after she was pushed into taking that step with a man she'd been dating for four months - because he didn't have the attitude she assumed he would have.
The woman explained that she was supposed to go for dinner and a movie with her date but was forced to change the plans when her babysitter called to say she'd be unable to look after her five-year-old daughter.
She immediately called her date and told him they could reschedule if he wanted to, but he said that it would be fine for the little one to come with them on their outing - leaving the mum to think that everything would be fine.
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In a post on Reddit, she said: "I'm a 27-year-old woman and I have a 5-year-old daughter. Her dad has no contact with us.
"For the past four months, I've been seeing a 30-year-old guy who is honestly really nice. He is aware of the fact I have a daughter from a past relationship, they've met a couple of times but not really spent any length of time together.
"We were meant to be going on a date last night but my babysitter cancelled due to a family emergency with little to no warning so I was basically ready for my date and left with no one to watch my daughter. I sent him a text explaining the situation and saying if he wanted we could rearrange or maybe we could bring her with us.
"He said we could take her with us so he turns up and the three of us head out. The plans were changed because of her and instead of going for a movie and a nice meal we went to McDonald's and then the Arcade. He was honestly great with her and I was feeling confident about this relationship going forward as it had gone so well."
But the next morning, the mum received a text from her date asking if he had "passed her test", as he accused her of making up the story about her babysitter just so she could see what he was like around her daughter.
And while the date had gone well, the woman has been left feeling "upset" by his words, and she now isn't sure if the bloke is as good for her as she first thought.
She added: "This morning I got a text from him asking if he'd 'passed' the test. Confused, I asked him what he meant and he said that I'd set that up to put him on the spot and see how he'd got on with her. He said that it was 'fine if a bit underhanded' and that I could have just asked to have him meet her.
"I was surprised by this and told him the babysitter really had cancelled at the last second and I wouldn't have lied about that, and pointed out how i'd left the choice to him if we rearranged or took her with us.
"I'm upset by this. I'm rusty on dating - the one serious relationship I had was with my daughter's dad so maybe I missed something here and suggesting we bring her rather than just cancelling myself was out of line.
"I don't want him to feel like I was testing him. Seeing him with her made me feel more confident in the relationship but it's not like I set out with that goal in mind. Despite my protests, he doesn't seem to believe me that it wasn't a set-up."
Commenters on the Reddit post were quick to reassure the mum that she hadn't done anything wrong, as many of them pointed out that her date not trusting her is a "red flag".
One person said: "It's weird that he jumps straight to thinking you're lying instead of your very rational reason of your babysitter bailing."
While another added: "The fact he isn't believing you is a bit of a red flag. I personally would have asked if she had fun the previous night and not whether I 'passed' a test."
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