Hi sisters just really wanting to vent and maybe see if I'm wrong for thinking like this, so I have a 7 year old daughter of whom I share custody with her father. Lately I have been taking her on more often due to her father and step mothers workload and I don't claim these extra days/nights through child support, anyway we organised for some tutoring to help her with maths this was initially their idea and of course I agreed I want what's best for my daughter but I had discussed that the price is quite high and I'm not sure I can pay on my own to which they were both happy to help but fast forward 6 weeks and I've paid for every session so far and its playing it's part on the bills so naturally I ask for a small amount to help pay each week and they have refused now I'm a just a little annoyed I try to make ends meet but having her for anywhere between 1-3 days and nights extra is more food to buy and this girl can eat and more fuel spent to run her where she needs or wants to go which makes me feel like refusing to help or telling child support agency how much I really do have her now.
3 Replies
I'd be heading back to mediation, the child support/ care arrangement is not working. It's fine to help out and great to, but they need to remember it goes both ways. Tell them that from now on if they want help they need to change CS and change the parenting plan. If you consistently are having her 1 or 2 nights more the care plan might as well reflect that as it means they aren't coping.
Maybe work out how much extra they'd have to pay if you changed the Centrelink and child support arrangement to reflect reality and compare that to the price of the tutoring. Show them the comparison and see what they say.
Showing him the difference now that's a great idea as for mediation we actually have orders but they have been null and void since we mediated through lawyers after a mistake the father had made we have been pretty friendly since, though this mans temper and selfishness can get in the way of mediation and I'm not sure I want to stir the pot to much as I can refuse to take miss on in a nice round about way that won't make them feel I'm being spiteful towards them :(
Maybe just tell them that financially you cannot afford to cover the tutoring on your own as well as picking up the extra days so unless they can help out, you'll have to cancel the tutor. And if they don't help, then cancel it. If they really want it, then they can pay it, especially seeing as it was them that suggested it in the beginning.