<p>Shifts in union formation and dissolution coupled with aging populations across the Americas have fundamentally reshaped the experiences of adults interested in repartnering. Dating and repartnering in later life may involve substantial family involvement due to linked family lives. In this paper, I explore a key question: How do mid/later-life daters consider the role of family in their relationship decisions? This study draws on in-depth interviews with 67 adults aged 55 to 92 from the Romance and Dating in Later Life study, conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, USA in 2022–2023. Older daters discuss their own kin – particularly children – as providing support, expressing concerns, and feeling frustration about their dating lives. Many find kin support important to decisions to date, though they do not always follow their advice. There is a strong – and often negative – specter of potential partners’ kin, particularly children and grandchildren. Older adults are wary about dating someone with children, sometimes even adult children, particularly for women who want to be a partner’s priority at this stage. Others, however, see partners’ kin as an opportunity to strengthen family dynamics or access familial relationships that they lack in their own lives. The findings suggest both optimism and concern about family involvement in older adults’ dating lives, but clear differences in the perceived role for a partner’s children versus one’s own. This study gives context to understand how older adults navigate the new demographic reality of later-life relationship formation while actively considering the role of family in these decisions.</p>