Asking for a 'boy mom', how sweet and devastating at the same time. I'm sorry that your daughter is feeling the lack of her father in her life; my kids don't seem to care one way or the other, though I'm not entirely sure they wouldn't prefer he just drift away at this point. My daughter did make a comment once about how she was looking forward to me dating so she could have a father figure in life, but I think that was prompted by how un-role-model-like her own dad is.

Here's a link to where I describe our visitation drama. As I said, dad wants them for the full visits, but only the visits where he's not traveling to see his girlfriend and she's not staying here. The kids choose not to reschedule, and I won't force them, which he's furious about.

I've actually rocked the boat with child support this past week, but I'm not sure what choice I had, despite the fact that he's paid me directly per the court orders the entire time.

The problem is that for nearly two years, every time I didn't do what he wanted, he threatens to not pay child support, not pay for college, not pay my son's car expenses, etc. Every time the kids don't do what he wants, he threatens them to not pay child support. I have a printout of a text conversation where he tells them if they refuse to meet his girlfriend that he'll stop paying and we'll end up living in a cardboard box. My son confronted him about this just this past week and my ex's response was that it didn't matter because he was angry when he said it, and that it was last summer so my son should just get over it.

On top of that typical blustering, he's been telling me for over a year he's been trying to look for opportunities to move abroad with his girlfriend. During that same conversation, where he told me not to get myself into a position where I'm relying on support because he doesn't intend to keep paying the full 6 years, he refused my request to give me a heads up if/when he's leaving.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, and the kids come home from dinner with him telling me he's going on a sabbatical over the summer and was talking about how cheap it is to buy property there. You see where this is going?

I call DCS to see what I would have to do if/when he leaves and stops paying. They explained that there is nothing they can do if he's already gone because they would have to serve him first. He said my ex could still avoid garnishment by paying directly, and that I could revoke enforcement at any time down the road.

I thought I owed my ex the opportunity to explain himself, and I didn't think it was fair to blindside him with being served when he's paid on time. I sent him an email last weekend asking to show me some sort of documentation that this really is a sabbatical and to explain how he intends to arrange payments from abroad. He wrote back to accuse me of harassment and furthering my goals of parental alienation. After a few back and forths where I try to explain, I receive this from him:

I guess I'll be in contact with an attorney to get parental visits to follow the court-ordered timing (Fri after school - Sun night).

I mailed my papers the next day; it's out of my hands now.