I say stop begging her. 50/50 sharing is a poor idea if one parent does not really want to be a parent. There are some women who really don't want to be mothers, and some women who have difficulty dealing with young children, but can relate fine to older ones, etc. You have to wonder about this man she is chasing after if he is cool with her abandoning her family which includes very young children. Do you really want your children with him 50 percent of the time? I say sit down and make a good plan for the children and that might mean that they live with you and go to school from your home. She could see them one evening a week, every other weekend, and at all their school plays, etc and on a holiday schedule that works for all of you (and not just her) and for part of the summer. I do not suggest you agree to her having the children all summer. You will miss out on many fun days with them without the stress of school, and if she is as uninvolved a parent as you say, she'll emotionally neglect them then, too. My point wasn't to question your education; my suggestion was to encourage you to pour the same love and devotion into yourself and your well-being (which in turn benefits the children) that you poured into this woman who now wants to walk away from her commitments and responsibilities.