Would you take dating advice from your kids?

I (32M) want to preface this by saying that I know this is gonna sound like one of those cheesy movies, because it sounds like one to me and I don’t know if I’ve let my daughters watch them one too many times but it’s happening and I can’t believe I’m about to ask this. I’m a single father of 3 girls, my ex wife isn’t in the picture due to mental health reasons and due to that relationship I haven’t really considered dating again, kind of just opted to take my time and heal with therapy.

One evening shortly after my wife and I finalized our divorce I was sitting on the back patio watching my girls play in the yard and our neighbor (25F), who will for be called Zoe, came from her backyard and started having just an honest conversation. Nothing romantic or even flirty involved. We discussed happenings in the neighborhood, our work lives and some sports talk (we’re both hockey fans). Ever since whenever I’m on the back patio or the girls are playing out back Zoe has come over to either talk to play with the girls. We’ve discussed many things on the patio the evenings she come over. She’s helped me a lot with healing mentally from my divorce. On the evenings I have to work a little later than expected she helps get the girls off the bus and feeds them and on a few occasions she will save some of the food for me to have when I pick the girls up. Her and her roommate have had my oldest two girls over for sleepovers and all three girls over for nail painting parties.

Last week my oldest daughter got her very first period and I was absolutely lost but guess who stepped in and saved the whole week? Zoe. She brought my daughter shopping for the products she would need and even kept her stocked with comfort snacks all week and came over almost every evening to hang out with my daughter and watch “chick flicks”. And as I type this Zoe has my oldest daughter out shopping in celebration of my oldest daughter getting invited to her very first slumber party.

My oldest is now dropping not so subtle hints about me asking Zoe on a date. And when I say not so subtle I mean

”dad you should take Zoe on a date. You’re both single.”

I never really seen her as more than a friend but with how she stepped in and helped my oldest through a very new change in her life this past week, it has kind of caused me to see Zoe in a different light. She’s great with my girls and they all love her and honestly I feel I’ve become attached to her too.

If you were in my shoes would you listen to your 12 year old daughter and ask Zoe on a date or play it safe and just stay friends cause adults shouldn’t be trying to live out cheesy movie scripts like this? I feel like an idiot even saying all of this and asking, but I want advice.

Edit: adding some of the interactions between Zoe and myself because I hadn’t really done that only highlighted what I felt was important to me, her actions with my girls.

Apart from cooking me the occasional meal, she’s came over to just hang out with me. We binge watch tv shows together on some occasions like going to PTA meetings, my middle daughters kindergarten graduation and my oldest daughters dance competitions she’s asked to come along and when she comes over before the event she generally always comments on how I dress. I suck with fashion for example my middle daughter’s graduation I was gonna go in a suit and tie. She informed me I looked like I was getting ready to sell life insurance to pensioners and asked where my wardrobe was. She picked out different clothes for me to wear then said there now you look good. She’s bought me clothes to “upgrade” my wardrobe so I don’t look like I’m hopeless.

One week while my daughters were with my ex in laws she came over and challenged me to a game of volleyball in the backyard and then we sat on the patio and talked. She made a couple of references that in the moment I didn’t take special note of and I probably should have.

We were talking and mid conversation she said you’re getting my grass wet I said what? And she pointed to the sprinkler I had set up that was spraying into her yard as well. While we were setting up the volleyball net I was having issues with one of the legs not staying up and me not thinking said sorry normally I don’t have this much trouble getting it up and she responded with god I hope not

In the moment I thought it was playful joking and in my head I still think it was. But now that I’m questioning the idea of how our friendship has gone over the past three years I’m questioning if she wasn’t dropping hints that I wasn’t picking up.

She’s invited me to local hockey games in the weeks my daughters are with my ex in laws and even out to movies. I’ve always just thought she was being really nice to me because I was going through a hard time.