This is the third time in two months she's asked to swap weekends without giving me notice until Friday. I work a job where I can't just drop everything, and my new girlfriend had plans this weekend. I told her no but now I feel like the bad guy. How do other guys handle this? I want to be flexible for the kids but not at the expense of my own life falling apart.
Dude that's frustrating. Three times in two months is excessive. You need some boundaries. I'd say stop being flexible until she can give you at least two weeks notice. Your schedule matters too.
I feel for you man. This kind of stuff is so stressful because you're trying to be the cool cooperative guy but she's taking advantage. Maybe time to have a serious conversation about what's reasonable.
Last minute swaps are the worst. You have plans you have to reschedule. I started saying no unless it's an actual emergency. Changed everything.
This gets old fast. I've been there. Start documenting everything with dates and times. If this keeps happening you might need to bring it up with your lawyer. Some exes push and push until someone puts their foot down legally.
The Friday before thing is the worst because you can't really make other plans. But you're allowed to say no. Your time is your time. If she needs to swap she needs to ask way in advance.
Third time in two months is ridiculous. You need to set a boundary now or this is going to keep happening. Next time tell her no unless it's an actual emergency. You've got your time and she needs to respect that.
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This has happened to me too. My advice is document everything and get it in writing through email or one of those co-parenting apps. Takes the emotion out of it and shows a pattern if you need it later.