What would you do? Advice for someone saddened at finding themselves at a crossroad.?

I've never been in your situation but have friends that have. One of my friends lived with and had two kids with her man (they weren't married). Your story sounds similar to hers because she used to tell me how he would get involved with these get-rich-quick schemes or other issues and then when things wouldn't work out, he'd be down on himself. Also, she said he wasn't responsible enough (ex: she had to remind about the rent or other things that, as a man, he should've been on top of), lacked direction, had bad communication skills and much more. She tried talking to him about it and for a short period of time, it would seem like he was improving, however, the old behavior would always resurface. Then she got to the point where she got tired of feeling like she had a third child and started talking down to him because she said the respect for him was totally gone. Eventually, they ended things. Then after some time had passed, she heard he was dating and wanted a second shot to make things work for their kids sake. However, shortly after trying to make it work, she noticed that he still had the same bad qualities and realized that she made the best decision, from the beginning, by ending things. She said that she realized she couldn't live with a man who was like this and it was better for the kids if they were apart. She also said that if he changes, it should be because he wants to change and not because she keeps telling him over and over what he needs to do and not do. As of now, she met someone new who is totally opposite of her kids' father (in a good way). She said that if she hadn't gone thru the pain and let downs of their father, she probably wouldn't appreciate the new guy for what he has to offer. That was her experience. My advice would be to do everything your capable of doing to try and make it work. If you see you're the only one making an effort, then maybe you might want to explore parting ways with him. All you can do is control your end. He's a man and should step up, especially since he has someone like you who has his back. But if he can't see this now, then maybe he'll see it when you've really gotten fed up and find someone else who appreciates all that you have to offer. Good Luck!!