just when I thought things were stable...

[Livin4ME]

(((Cat)))
It really sucks that your STBX decided to handle it like that. Mine continued to deny there was an OW until a mutual friend told me that she had been with the kids many many times.
I agree with you that gf and bf should not be introduced to children until it is serious. Not necessarily a ring on the finger, but I believe the R should be established and been going on for a few months before introductions are made to the children. My reasoning for all of this is...children do not understand and they will form attachments to people that are in the lives. If its not serious, but an attachment has been made, and the R fizzles out fairly quickly, its one more person that has been taken out of the children's lives. Granted, if the children are older, it may be alittle bit different. But younger children do not understand.
A friend of mine just went thru this. She was on the opposite side tho. Her D was final, she doesn't have children. She began dating someone who was also newly D and he had children. She was introduced fairly early into the R. She became very attached to the children. He dumped her to go back to his XW. She was crushed. (He was her rebound) And she still talks about how she misses the kids. In fact, the night he dumped her, he asked if she wanted to go inside and say goodbye to the children!!! Her new rule is...if children are involved, she will not meet the children for atleast 6 months. She wants to protect herself and the children.
My point is...it's not fair to the children and it's not fair to the other people either.