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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Chose to use CMS (UK)

4 replies

Cden · 28/07/2024 23:54

My ex was earning anywhere from £800-£3000 per week and I originally asked him for £700 per month for child support for our baby son.

He thought it was excessive and called me a goldigger, and so I reluctantly agreed to £500 per month.

When our son was born, he paid this and paid on time. However, he kept saying that he couldn't afford it and was trying to coerce me into accepting £200 per month instead. I refused, seeing as he was spending on rolexes and patek watches, and designer clothes, luxury holidays I thought this was a pisstake.

He did always pay, but the anxiety of not knowing if he would pay or not until the day was getting too much. He was emotionally and mentally abusive to me, so it wouldnt surprise me if he witheld money to get at me one month.

I later found out he had been staying in hotels every weekend with my 'best friend' and lavishing her with expensive gifts (and other women, LOL). So I decided to go to the CMS (I wanted to limit contact, get some stability and security, and possibly get more money from him) - they told me he will need to pay £1277 per month to me.

The next day I got a letter saying he actually pays 'nil' because he had quit his job the week before and he hadn't updated them. He had been threatening to do this to not have to pay me. Didnt think he would actually do it though.

Now he is accusing me of being greedy, a goldigger and selfish because I went to the CMS even though we had an agreement. He then said he will give me £200 per month if I drop the CMS case, or I will get nothing from him if I carry on with CMS.

I told him to shove it and I will stick with CMS even if it means I get nothing. I refuse to be controlled by him anymore. And also, once he does get a job, he will have to pay and it will likely be more than £200. I told him its his son he is spiting, and he told me that no, our son will be fine because he knows I will do what I can to make ends meet and he is doing it to spite me.

So, he has purposely left me in a position where I will likely need to get a job even though Im on maternity leave to be able to support our son, even though he has stacks and stacks of cash and savings. He is on a career break with no end date at the moment, thats how much money hes got. I have made the FIU aware, and sent all the evidence including the abusive texts.

He is a textbook narcissist and he always gets under my skin and makes me feel unreasonable. I feel like a horrible person for the decision I made, but logically, I know its for the best.
I'm so tempted to cut contact with his son until he pays (which I won't do because my son adores him), because why should he get to enjoy a child that he chooses not provide for out of spite for his mother? He is also incredibly abusive and nasty to me.

How can this person even sleep at night??

My question is, was I unreasonable to go through the CMS?

And had anyone had any success with the FIU within CMS?

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · 29/07/2024 00:03

Of course you wasn't unreasonable to go through the CMS. You've got to get over him having more money than you and spending it on other women. Plan out your life with your son and give contact on your terms. Don't rely on him for childcare because he will let you down.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 29/07/2024 00:05

Do not allow yourself to be bullied by him.

Stick to CMS.

CakeIsNotAvailable · 29/07/2024 00:10

You would be very unreasonable to cut contact in retaliation. And if you cut contact and he takes you to court, you could easily end up with a contact schedule which doesn't suit you - so it may backfire.

lemonsaretheonlyfruit · 29/07/2024 00:22

V similar happened to me recently. He was always fairly reliable since we split (14 years ago. 2 DC) but then became v flakey.. he's always been abusive and a complete bully (definitely also a narcissist) to me but I could just about deal with that as long as the moment was on time.

Our agreement has always been £600 a month. He didn't pay in feb or march then tried to reduce this significantly for the next 2 months. But as you experienced- it was the never knowing if / when would be paying, regularly going over my OD limit and the texts I had to send him every month which felt like begging - which he loved of course.

I gave him a heads up that I was going to have to go to the CSA just to ensure we got a definite date in every month for payment and tried to sell it in a way that would mean it would minimise contact between us (which can only be a good thing)

As soon as I told him I had submitted the claim, he gleefully told me he was no longer in his job. As decided by the CSA he now pays me 85 a month.

I can't afford this and told him that whatever the CSA has decided, surely he must understand that his own DC will go without things because of this.

He said 'well you were the one that decided to make the claim so you can't now complain about their decision'

I know he can't only be earning 9k a year as he claims to be. His rent alone would be at least double that.

Unfortunately his desire to hurt me is greater than his desire to endure his kids are ok.

He won't be telling me or the CSA when he gets a new job. But (and I can't quite believe this is true) , the CSA say they only check on a yearly basis as to whether someone has a new job or not. Is this for real?

He'll have gone freelance and will be fiddling something somewhere. It makes me sick!

Sorry you are In this position. I don't know what the answer is. I hope someone comes along with better advice.

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