I have my son every weekend and do a 50-50 split through school holidays (I'm looking forward to having him stay next week for the entire week). This arrangement was by request of my ex. Every weekend has made dating a total no-go for me. I'm not the 'fun Dad' who takes their kids shopping as a way to bond - mainly because after the break up *I* was in serious financial difficulty due to *my* moral obligation to still pay half the household expenses even though I'd left. My son and I also mainly play video games as a way of sharing time. I've been separated for 9 years and my son is in his mid teens now and I'll admit my eyes still tear up every Sunday night when I take him home.