It's official. ABC has confirmed that Emily Maynard, former fiance of Bachelor Brad Womack and all around hottie mchottie, is going to be the next Bachelorette looking for love. She's beautiful and kind and interesting to watch and all of those things that will make the show compelling. But that still doesn't mean her choice to do it is a good one.

The fact is, Emily is a single mom. Her daughter Ricki is only 6 years old and Emily is about to go on national TV, kiss 20 different men, and basically make a spectacle of her life while leaving her little girl behind. Did I mention that Ricki's father Ricky Hendrick died before she was even born?

I am not a single mom and I have no idea how hard it is for single parents to find love. But I do know that this show is very rarely successful, and 9 times out of 10, it's just an excuse to have 20 members of the opposite sex fawn all over you for a few weeks. So why is she doing this?

My guess is Emily wants the publicity. In the past, she has done many high profile (and low profile) TV stints, and fame/hosting gigs seem to be what she wants. So great. For her career, this may be a good move, but maybe not so much for her child.

More on The Bachelorette: Emily Maynard Should Rethink Her 'Fame' Strategy

Parents make choices all the time about career versus children and sometimes one wins and sometimes the other wins. In this case, Maynard is making the wrong choice. How many Bachelors or Bachelorettes are really famous now? One? Two? Travis Stork went on to star on a show about doctors and Melissa Rycroft is getting some hosting gigs. But generally, the contestants fade back into obscurity and their old lives.

Is Emily looking for love? Only time will tell. Maybe she is and I am way off. I hope so. It would be lovely to see her get her happy ending and have her family and not pursue a career in Hollywood. But the cynic in me thinks otherwise and the victim here is going to be her little girl.

Leaving one's child for two months is a really long time, and unless I were doing something truly good for humanity, I would likely not do it. It's great that ABC is looking at single moms (and moms in general) as vital and sexy and deserving of love. They are. But not this way.

This just seems cheap and wrong. Emily is better than this choice.

Do you think single parents should be on The Bachelor?

 

Image via ABC