I am not a single father but a single female who has been dating a single father of an 8 year old girl for over a year. I can see why the single fathers here have had difficulty making connections let alone commitments with women let alone friends.
He has never been married to his daughter's mother but lived with them for the first two years of her life so her mother could stay home and care for her. He worked several jobs, late nights, anything he could do to support them. After two years it was clear that they could no longer live together. His daughter and her mother moved in with family where they remain. They have no formal custody arrangement and typically he had his daughter on Sundays with an occasional Saturday night stay-over. He was included in birthdays and holidays with her family - his family lives far away.
While he gave her and her mother everything he had he still found the resources to go to school, graduate and find a job to make more money. It also gave him a more stable schedule allowing him to have her on weeknights where feasible so he could connect with her schooling, make her dinner and just have more time with her. I am inspired by his responsibility and the choices he makes all for her. He recently moved within walking distance of her school solidifying his ability to spend more time with her.