My ex and I have joint legal custody of our two year old girl. We had already verbally agreed on child support, visitation and insurance issues. I've always had an open door policy and he can come see her whenever he wants in addition to his Sunday visitation. Still, he felt the need to serve me at work and take me to court. The judge ordered him to not only pay more in child support, but he also has to pay her insurance and 48% of her day care expenses. However, he filed for joint legal custody, primary residence with me. Visitation stayed the same. Sundays 10am-5pm.
He picks her up MAYBE twice a month, sometimes without even calling so I'm stuck at home all day because she refuses to leave because she's waiting for a daddy who isn't going to show. He pays his child support weeks late, even though he has a very good job and work is his excuse for not taking her on Sundays. I don't argue with him. I never ask him for anything. My daughter comes home and says things like "mommys a bi**h". Its heart breaking.
I remarried, and my new husband and I expecting a baby in August. Problem is, he is in the US Marine Corps and will be stationed in North Carolina. I will absolutely under no circumstances even consider living without my little girl. She is my whole life. Without her I am nothing. But how do I decide which one of my children should live without their father? I haven't brought up the idea of moving to North Carolina with my ex yet. I am willing to give up child support and other such payments, I am also willing to change her last name which is something he has been fighting for since he took me to court. (Since he wasn't involved in her life for the first 6 months or so, he is not on her birth certificate and she took my last name, which I hyphenated when I got married.)
I keep a log of when he picks her up. Or when he does not pick her up. I also keep a log of when I receive child support payments. (He always writes the date that it was due on the checks, not the date that he actually gave it to me.) What are my options? Morally and legally. I'm not sure if I can afford to go to court again.
Any suggestions?
He picks her up MAYBE twice a month, sometimes without even calling so I'm stuck at home all day because she refuses to leave because she's waiting for a daddy who isn't going to show. He pays his child support weeks late, even though he has a very good job and work is his excuse for not taking her on Sundays. I don't argue with him. I never ask him for anything. My daughter comes home and says things like "mommys a bi**h". Its heart breaking.
I remarried, and my new husband and I expecting a baby in August. Problem is, he is in the US Marine Corps and will be stationed in North Carolina. I will absolutely under no circumstances even consider living without my little girl. She is my whole life. Without her I am nothing. But how do I decide which one of my children should live without their father? I haven't brought up the idea of moving to North Carolina with my ex yet. I am willing to give up child support and other such payments, I am also willing to change her last name which is something he has been fighting for since he took me to court. (Since he wasn't involved in her life for the first 6 months or so, he is not on her birth certificate and she took my last name, which I hyphenated when I got married.)
I keep a log of when he picks her up. Or when he does not pick her up. I also keep a log of when I receive child support payments. (He always writes the date that it was due on the checks, not the date that he actually gave it to me.) What are my options? Morally and legally. I'm not sure if I can afford to go to court again.
Any suggestions?
