Why do some expect praise for simply doing what’s expected of them?
Vanishing Without a Trace
My ex-husband disappeared. He warned me this would happen. He said he "deserved" to start a new life and had no intention of paying us hefty monthly sums. That’s how much he cared about his three kids. We finalized the divorce, set the child support, and then he vanished off the face of the earth. No one’s heard from him in ten years. I hope he’s not happy.
Wake-Up Call
My ex-wife laughed when I told her I’d be asking for child support—our sick daughter lives with me, she barely visits, and I can’t work full-time because of her care. When the court agreed and ordered her to pay, she screamed so loud the hallway echoed. She thought only men pay child support, not women.
Who’s Entitled to What?
The man who fathered my child is wealthy. We had a brief affair, and I got pregnant because he refused to use protection. When I told him, he blocked me everywhere. I had to take the official route and force a paternity test because he spread rumors that I couldn’t be pregnant by him and that I made it all up. When he learned child support would be proportionally deducted from his income, he lost it. From his perspective, it was fine for him to be rich while his child grew up in need.
The Luxury
Child support doesn’t even cover kids’ food, let alone school supplies, clothes, or fun. My ex-husband pays a ridiculously low amount and still had the nerve to accuse me of spending it all on myself! That was so absurd I just laughed.
Zero
My ex—who loves to say how much he adores our daughter, the meaning of his life—quit his job after our divorce and started working off the books for a friend who doesn’t report him. So on paper, he’s unemployed with no income, making child support collection impossible. A real model dad.
Something for Something
When he had no other choice, my ex finally sent the first child support payment—but I came home to find he’d broken a window and stolen the TV.
Promises Are Nice Words
My ex was a few months behind but swore he’d come home from abroad with plenty of money soon. He paid regularly until then, so I let it slide. He told me to tell the kids they could go anywhere this summer because he’d pay. My daughter wanted to go on a canoe trip with school, my son wanted to go to the Sziget Festival. I passed on the message and the kids were thrilled. Then my ex didn’t pay a cent, even though I saw his Facebook posts every day—partying at Lake Balaton with a drink in hand. The kids were heartbroken, so I begged my boss for an advance and covered everything myself to keep their hopes alive.
Ridiculous
I love it when my clueless ex complains to me about how hard it is to pay child support—when we work at the same company in similar roles. So we earn about the same. Every month I tell him, I spend way more on the kids than he pays, but he just won’t believe it.
The Business
My ex accused me of having a child with him just to "get rich from child support." This guy was officially on minimum wage, paid a laughably low amount that didn’t cover anything, and still had the nerve to paint me as a gold digger.
