So I am in the middle of a super ugly divorce. My soon to be ex only allows me to speak to my kids once per day via video call while she hovers around monitoring and coaching the children on their responses.

So normally, when the kids are online (her primary babysitters are computer games) normally I engage with the kids and play online games with them or chat with them via discord. However, when my spouse discovers that the children are speaking to me she cuts off their internet. The children have complained and said that they can't talk to me because "Mom said if she catches us talking she will shut off our internet and we can't play or talk to our friends".

Now I have ignored this stupid thing and continued to send pictures and send messages despite her trying to minimize our bonds. But my spouse has said that she will only let me talk to the kids if I pay for her internet.

Is this extortion? I mean, I thought I would have the right to speak with my children freely when it does not impose on my spouse as it doesn't require any action whatsoever on her part. My attorney appears relatively indifferent to my complaints about being able to speak with my children beyond a daily video call.

There is no protective order or anything in our stipulation saying I cannot speak to my children online.

​

Add on background:

To make matters worse, my 9 year old came to me during my time share and was super distressed because my soon to be ex is sexting with a couple of guys and he saw it. I've lined up a therapist to talk to my kids through all of this because the mother is a complete basket case. She had been planning on a divorce secretly (I found out and kept my knowledge secret). She came to me and kept trying to get me to buy a house and set up regular vacations (we are in Florida so alimony is at play). She blew up one day because the car note wasn't paid off yet and then I found out she had a secret cellphone she was using to communicate with a dude she works with. She kept leaving me with the kids and coming home late then running straight to the shower and washing her underwear in the shower. She had done this before in the past and I called her out on it, but stupid me didn't just end it then.

So I secretly acquired an attorney and filed. When the spouse finally figured it out she said, "You wont divorce me, I will divorce you and I will do it on my time". Her full narcissist came out and she said I wouldn't get the kids, I would pay $4k in alimony a month and I would be living in a box when she was done. The look of shock on her face that I had the balls to stand up for myself was something I will never forget. It saddens me still to believe I loved this person who ended up not being who I thought she was.

Then after she was served, I was desperate to find a new place for my daughter (her step) and then she would call the police every weekend because she wanted me out of the house. The final call to the police happened two days before I relocated (finally). She attacked me in the bathroom and then called the police to report domestic violence (i never touched her). I walked downstairs (because I didn't know the cops were coming) and saw her self inflicting....little did she know I was recording it.

So the cops came ready to rock, and I was like...look at this. Everything changed, but they didn't do anything to her (like charge her with making a false report). I can tell you there was a 4 week period where everyday I came home to that place and I thought I was going to have a heart attack because I was so nervous about what she would do next.

Then of course, she claimed she went to church and the kids school to spread the news about how evil and horrible of a person I am. It made me really self conscious because at the time I believed her. But low and behold, it was all lies like everything else for the last year.

Then I found out that she moved from the house we lived at, abandoning the family pet. She told all sorts of stories about having the animal adopted, then the animal ran away when the door was open...all lies. Because the stories didn't align, I decided to do a pop by at my old place (it's vacant) and there is the family pet dying to get in because no one has been there for days.

Now I sit in my new place with a camping chair and a folding table, because she literally took everything from the house. But I have my dignity and self respect knowing I made the right call for me and my children. I tell you what, never again. I am done with relationships for a long time. This woman has eliminated any desire for such things. I was a good husband and I am a good dad. She fucking crushed my spirit for years with her narcissistic behavior and I am so glad I am not going to be her husband anymore.