Originally posted by vraiblonde
Not only that, Pete, but what does your paycheck have to do with her responsibility to her son? Are YOU the one who made her quit/lose her job? Are YOU the one who forced pregnancy on her and FORCED her to have a child?
My ex-husband used to try that crap. He'd go as far as to want an itemized list of what I spent on the kids so he could guage what his "half" would be. So I did. I included every penny of their food, their share of the living quarters, their clothing, their lessons, their school supplies, their incidentals, EVERYTHING. Then I included a bill for my time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, at $25 per hour.
After I presented him with the total, we didn't have that conversation again for almost a year.
I know, it's not the money so much as it is the idea she just doesn't give a crap. She might buy him a shirt or a pair of shoes in a year, the rest I take care of.
Funny story;
2 years ago she took her clan to Disney. A big production, had a house rental in Kissime, 3 day passes the works. 2 weeks before the trip I was dropping off boy and she asked me if I was going to give Boy some money to take on his trip.
I said, hey it is your vacation, WTF would I want to give him money to take on YOUR vacation for? She said "Well I told his half brother that he had to save his money for the trip and he had saved up about $100. She didn't have enough money to give Boy that much so if he wanted any cash to buy stuff Iwould have to give it to him. If I didn't he would feel left out.
It burned my ass to have to fund a 5 year olds vacation with his mother but hey, who would suffer if I didn't, Boy would not her. So I started giving him things to do around the house and I would put money in his Disney jar after each one. At the end of the 2 weeks he had $25. I got it out and we decorated an envelope "BOYS MONEY". Then I matched his $25 with $25 and I told him he earned the first $25 and the other $25 was from me because I loved him and wanted him to have a good time.
Off they go to Disney, Boy with $50 in Disney cash to spend. They get back a week later and he has some trinkets in a bag and a Orioles warm up suit that was TOO FREAKING SMALL. I ask goober woman, WTF? She :shrug:and says he wanted it. I look at the tag and it was $40. He didn't even make it to Disney before his money was gone because Goober woman just let him do with it what he wanted. He was freaking 5 !! So he got a Baltimore Orioles warm up suit that was too small the FIRST day he left and had $10 for the rest of the trip.
A month later Boy and I were going on our annual camper trek across the map. I picked him up at his moms and asked her if Icould talk to her. We went out on the porch and I asked her in the most serious face possible if she was going to give Boy some money for our vacation. Her jaw dropped, she was speechless and I started laughing and just walked away.
He just called me last month and asked to trim $300 off his payment till he finishes OTS. I didn't say "YES" but I didn't fight it either. April's payment was "trimmed". 
and she cannot make that. Your ex "trimmed" more from his payment and I would get total. 
And you get on me..... 
