“Never date a Thai single mom in Pattaya,” they say — but maybe the real warning is about men chasing illusions in a city built on escape. (Photo – Pattaya Beach, Thailand) PATTAYA, Thailand – The news hit Pattaya’s expat circles with all the drama of a bad soap opera: A foreign man, distraught after a dispute with his Thai girlfriend and several unanswered phone calls, allegedly drank mosquito repellent on a dark street in the heart of the city. It made headlines. It made people shake their heads. And almost immediately, the usual chorus chimed in — those familiar voices in online forums and beer bars, men who’ve been burned or who think they’ve seen it all: “Let me guess. She’s a single mom.” “Never date a Thai single mom in Pattaya.” “It always ends like this.” Pattaya is full of these cautionary tales. Men who fall hard, fall fast, and fall apart when things don’t go their way. But what is it about single mothers in this city that seems to ignite such strong warnings and emotional wreckage? The narrative is familiar. A man arrives from abroad — maybe he’s divorced, maybe lonely, maybe just tired of women back home. Then he meets a beautiful Thai woman, soft-spoken, smiling. She tells him about her life, maybe about her child. He doesn’t mind. In fact, he sees it as a sign of maturity. She’s grounded, she’s been through things — maybe she’ll appreciate him more. It starts fast. The calls, the meals, the quiet evenings with her child asleep in the other room. He offers to help. Maybe with rent, school supplies, a new fridge. He feels needed. She says she loves him. He believes it. And for a while, it feels like something real. Like he found a second chance. Then something shifts. She goes quiet for a day. She doesn’t reply to messages right away. Maybe he sees her online but not answering. Maybe she’s “too busy” to meet. And suddenly, all those feelings of safety start to unravel. He calls more. She answers less. And the more distant she becomes, the more desperate he feels. For some men, that’s where it ends. They walk away, bruised ego in tow, telling the next guy at the bar, “Don’t do it. Never date a Thai single mom in Pattaya.” Heartbreak in paradise: A foreign man’s emotional collapse in Pattaya sparks new debate about love, loneliness — and the risks of dating Thai single moms. (Photo – Pattaya Beach, Thailand) But for others — like the man with the mosquito repellent — it goes deeper. The illusion crashes hard. The idea that he was loved, that he was special, that he mattered — all gone in a few unanswered texts. And in that quiet, painful freefall, some men make desperate choices. But the truth is, this isn’t really a story about single moms. It’s a story about fantasy. About misplaced trust. About trying to turn a few moments of affection into something permanent in a city built on the temporary. Pattaya doesn’t make relationships easy. It’s a city where romance, survival, and economics are tangled together, and where love often has a price tag — real or imagined. Yes, some single moms in Pattaya are looking for stability. Some are pragmatic. Some have been burned so many times that they’ve learned to stay one step ahead. But others are just trying to make it work — raise their child, hold onto a little dignity, and maybe find someone who sees them as more than a sob story or a payday. And the men? Many of them come here already cracked. Lonely, aging, running from something. They think they’ve found a cure in a smile, a soft voice, a warm body. But what they often find is a mirror — one that reflects every vulnerability they brought with them. So when someone says, “Never date a Thai single mom in Pattaya,” maybe the real warning should be this: Never start something in Pattaya unless you’re clear about who you are, what you want, and what she really wants from you. And if it all goes wrong? Walk away. With your pride, your passport, and your dignity intact. Not with a bottle of mosquito spray. Earlier Report: (Foreign man in Pattaya empties mosquito repellent in mouth after dispute with Thai girlfriend and unanswered calls)