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Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and i'm looking for a bit of advice.
I have 2 girls with my ex girlfriend (ages 7 and 12). I have been paying the correct amount of maintenance to her since we split up 6 or so years ago through a private arrangement. Our relationship isn't the best but I see the kids at weekends when i'm off work and in the kids holidays (we live 40 miles away so it's not possible to have them during the week and be taking them to school and back everyday). She uses the children against me and regularly messes me about with contact dates saying that the kids don't want to come to our house. I am now engaged to a wonderful woman (who has 1 child from a previous relationship) and we are expecting our first child together in May.
Recently she has contacted me to say that she will not be providing spare clothes and school uniforms for the kids and that we must provide these. I have no problem providing spare clothes when they are at our house. The school uniforms pose a problem though. I regularly pick the kids up on a Saturday morning and drop them at school on the Monday morning. After school on the Monday they will go home to their mother. I would need to provide a new school uniform every time they came to visit me as she is refusing to send any clothes down with them. She has also recently informed me that she will be moving house soon and won't be providing me with her new address and that they will need to find a 3rd party to drop off/collect the kids from.
I love my kids to bits but this petty arguing about insignificant things is beginning to get me down.
Thanks in advance!
Paul
Hi
Her attitude does seem to be ridiculous, and as you say, your children could end up with a silly number of school uniforms. At this stage, have you tried mediation - I think she'd have more of a problem maintaining her attitude if an independent mediator was involved. The website is www.nfm.org.uk and there is a stick topic at the top of the legal eagle section on mediation.
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