While being single on Valentine’s Day isn’t what most people would deem ideal, in my family, it is just another opportunity for a girl’s day. As chance would have it, my mother, grandmother and I have all found ourselves back in the dating world recently. Some people might consider such circumstances to be unfortunate, but I prefer to think of it as good timing.

When my parents divorced last year, the very idea of my parents dating other people was mind-boggling. As my mom began to dip her toes into the waters of the dating pool, I noticed something crazy. When it came to finding a companion, my mom’s little joys and frustrations mirrored my own. I started looking for similar reflections in my grandmother’s life, and lo and behold, there they were.

As it turns out, dating is just as frustrating no matter what stage of life you are in. Flirting is a lost art, and busy schedules can diminish hopes of second dates. The emptiness and solitude seep into the quiet moments, and dating sites foster feelings of despair. Fortunately, there is a bright side to even the darkest of situations.

As a “single Pringle,” you don’t have to worry about working around another person’s whims and wishes. If you want to eat all ten chicken nuggets, then by all means, go for it. One of the benefits of being single in this day and age, according to my grandmother, is that the stigma that once existed is now obsolete.

Thanks to sites like Meetup, finding other single adults to have adventures with has become easier. In the case of my family, being single has allowed me the opportunity to get to know my mother and grandmother on a deeper level. Rather than just being my role models, they are my comrades, my other two Musketeers.

Even though the single life isn’t what any of us would have chosen, being in it with two of my closest friends makes it more of an adventure than a sentencing.