Ladies please join me in raising a celebratory glass. Maintenance payments for youngest SS end this month.
For context, ex wife hasn't worked FT since the kids were born. DH has always paid way over the odds and been alienated against ever since I've known him. Most of the abuse from Exw has been financially related.
SD used to walk into DH's house critiquing anything he'd bought because "you should be spending all your money on me" (he did). When I came along exw told the kids "ask Dolly then, she has a fancy job so she can afford it. "
She asked for maintenance to be recalculated to include my income after DH and I had been dating for only a year whilst continuing to work 3 days a week herself. (We didn't live together than, she just got a sniff of me having a good job)
For years exw has told the children in her house "no we can't afford that because your dad doesn't give me enough money". She managed to extend her house and landscape her garden though which is odd.
On top of maintenance we also pay an allowance, mobile phone contracts, we've paid all school costs, devices have been bought, trips, holidays, birthdays have been paid for etc. Cars have also been bought for both teens. ExW has still battered DH at every possible opportunity.
Quite simply she has behaved bitterly and appallingly whilst taking no responsibility for her potential to resolve things (and working part time by choice in a professional job so no excuse there). She also battled DH in court to allow him the minimal contact to get maximum maintenance. She could have given him more from the start but it paid more for her withhold contact according to the CSA. He would have seen his kids every day if he could. She even used to insist on them coming home for hobbies with her on a Sunday morning on his EOW contact.
Slate me as much as you want for this but FINALLY we're free!!!!!! We can support the kids directly (if they need our help SS has a full time job now so it won't be needed) and the non co-parenting, call DH when it suits her but tell the kids he's useless, money grabbing,lazy, manipulative witch is no longer part of our budget.