I have a 17 year old daughter. I always use her as an excuse as to why I "can't make it". No woman will bite a single dad's head off for that excuse.
Don't get me wrong, I spend a ton of time with my daughter. National travel volleyball with 3 practices a week 1.5 hrs away, tournaments almost every weekend (all out of town and 2-3 day tournaments). So they know I'm busy and its just a smooth transition to stringing some of them along.
When I have a rotation, I have my main priority #1 contender who gets the first available time. If she isn't available I go to #2. #3 is always the one I am looking to replace, therefore it's nice to have a couple of new ones chatted up as possible replacements. I've learned that at 43 yrs old, I can't handle more than 3 women in a rotation. Not because of my age, rather my already busy schedule.