Gentlemen,
I have been supporting my daughter for 11 years after the divorce of my ex wife and I. It has been a constant battle, several times a year she demands more money, complains about how inconvenient it is to provide my visitation (used to be 10 days a month but she made it impossible to have more than 4). I gave in a few years ago and bought a small amount of temporary peace by giving her an increase in child support voluntarily (out of the courts) . The truce only lasted about 2 years but I digress.
Fast forward to a month ago.
My daughter turns 14 this August and as she can choose where she wants to go, she decided it's time to get away from her crazy mother (she knows her on mother is a horrible person and constantly attempts to cause issues in my life with my wife and kids). I live in a much better school district and an area with much less crime. She is excited to be able to spend real time with me, my wife and her half brother and sister. Her stepmother has had to teach her how to take care of herself, all about female issues and basically do all of the important things a mother should do in 4 days a month. My daughter feels closer to her stepmother than her birth mother. Needless to say, my ex is less than thrilled about all of this.
She has agreed to let her live with me but feels that she should have just as much access to my daughter that she has now and continue to be able to make decisions about her. She also thinks that once she moves in with me that I now have to 100 percent provide for her. She has no job and has been living off of my child support and what her husband makes. When I asked her how it was fair that I have paid tens of thousands of dollars to her over the years and now that she will be living with me there would be no support form her she flipped. Demanding to know how I expect her to pay with no job and what give me the right to demand money from her family. If I ever had trouble paying over the last 11 years she would demand that I go to jail or sign over the rights to my daughter and be forced from her life. I am at wits end. I have been advised that she will likely not have to pay a dime (Bible belt, GA law) and will be able to have more control over my life and the life of my daughter once she lives with me than I have ever had in the last 11 years. I don't know what to do, lawyers hear the word "custody" and their eyeballs turn into dollar signs. Demanding a minimum of several thousand dollars to just write up paperwork, if she contests it goes up over $10k instantly. She knows that she has bled me dry and wants to destroy me financially, it has taken me 10 years just to eliminate the debt I was left with in the divorce.
Any advice would be appreciated, I am about to loose my mind. I got fucked in the divorce and afterwards, just because I am a man.
[–]Notanidiot677 points [recovered] | Copy Link
[–]Kill_Your_Ego 2 points3 points4 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[+]Notanidiot67 [recovered] (1 child) | Copy Link
Guys, thank you for the support and advice. Unfortunately I may have no recourse out of this other than to be at the mercy of her and/or a judge. I don't have the financial resources to press her very hard. Getting the papers filed is almost maximum of my financial ability. I cannot put the future of my other children in debt to get chump change out of my ex. I quit high school to support my ex and our oncoming daughter. I didn't know it at the time but she used me as a way out of her enlistment with the Navy and, a year later she took my child and everything she could pack into my truck of any value and left without a word in the middle of the night. I only have 4 years left before my daughter is 18. Spending thousands of dollars that I don't have to get hundreds of dollars out of her (if any at all) would be pointless.
Thanks again guys but, I just don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
[–]atheist4thecause 2 points3 points4 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]DougDante 2 points3 points4 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]Lurker_IV2 points [recovered] | Copy Link
[–]MRSPArchiver 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]Mhrby 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link