When they prefer alcohol over their kids?

[MrsSnape]

How do you cope knowing that your children's father prioritises going out and getting pissed over hid kids?

He's supposed to have the kids every fortnight but every weekend he tells me he has no money to take them anywhere, yet that same night he'll post on facebook "can't wait till tonight, I'm so getting pissed!" etc so obviously he has money somewhere??

It pisses me off so much.

does he have an alcohol dependency or is he merely a prick?

the kids will see for themselves what he is like when they are older and it will be his loss

DOes he have money, though, or the ability to ponce drinks off other people? He sounds a knob either way.

No dependancy that I know of, just being a twat.

Saying that, the kids say his bedroom is full of empty beer bottles and he's currently living with his mum after a relationship breakdown (turns out she didn't have as much money as he thought she did ) and he's making no attempt to find his own place.

Is in thousands of pounds worth of debt...basically, he's completely gone off the rails. It would have happened soon but when he was me, I kept him 'straight' to an extent, his last girlfriend kept him 'straight' but now he's 'free' he's doing exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it.

The kids know what he's like unfortunately but it doesn't stop them clinging on to the small hope that their dad MIGHT take them out 'this time'

The thing is they will eventually realise he's a waste of space. But that doesn't stop them from hoping. I know its hard but you will have to try to minimize their disappointment. Don't unload what a looser he is to justify him not coming round. This just makes extra baggage to cart around for the rest of their life. Once they are older they can sort it out in their own time.
My ex did this to my little one. The older ones knew what he was about. I tried to always think of her first and manage her disappointment. For example he once promised her to go for the weekend to this beach cottage etc and she was waiting with her bag etc.. He comes along and says he's got the flu when I knew well and truly he was fine. I even made him a cup of tea and gave him some tablets... just followe thru. She understood and felt sorry for im but she was less hurt knowing he was going home to bed and get beter.Actually he'd got a weekend fling sorted out and I was later told he was partying, no flu or anything.
Later on I got him cornered and threatened him that I'd tell her if he did it again (not that it made much difference) but she was none the wiser. Years down the line I am glad I did that because out of all three of the them, (kids I mean) she is the less 'damaged'. The older ones were more aware and could draw their own conclusions and I couldn't guard against that.
I's our childrens interest we have to keep at heart (not getting even with total wankers, at their expense). In the long run, it pays off.

try the thread for partners of addicts, you are not alone might be some helpful advice/identification there

1. Delete his facebook profile from your friends list. Why are you looking at his page if he is an ex? It's only making you cross.

1. Do not tell the kids if he says he is coming to take them out. Wait and see if he turns up, if he does then it's a nice surprise for the kids, if not then they won't know any different.

His drinking habits aren't really your business unless he is getting drunk whilst he has the kids. His life and it's success or lack of are now his problem.