Asking for a friend: I’m a divorced man in my 50s and want to get back on the dating scene. Are my ex-wife and kids too much baggage?

Q: I’m in my early 50s and recently divorced. I feel like I’m doing OK as my ex and I are on good terms; we just ended up as friends more than lovers, so we decided to go our separate ways. Thankfully we could afford the separation and I am enjoying living on my own in a newer part of town. Our children are adults and living on their own too. I want to date again and find someone to enjoy this new chapter of my life with, but I feel like a fish out of water. I don’t even know where to begin with apps and websites, and to say I’m rusty at flirting would be an understatement. I’d like to think I’m in OK shape and not bad looking, but dipping my toe in the dating pool is a whole new experience. Where do I even start, and how can I feel confident in trying to date casually after so long being married? Are my ex-wife and kids going to be seen as too much baggage?