Social-distancing is testing co-parenting limits, the courts and then some.
It's been over six months since my original request for child-support and as of this week, we're going to court. It's definitely not the way I intended things to go considering our amicable and civil exchanges.
Based on the most recent exchanges between attorneys, this is definitely going to get ugly.
I'm not sure where you are, but in New Jersey all the courts are now backed up and this may take longer than expected. It's truly unfortunate for a number of reasons. The main one being the additional underlying stress this is causing.
As much as we try, this goes to show that our lifetime link will never be smooth sailing as much as we try. Don't get me wrong, we are still very civil, but this has created tension where there wasn't any before.
It doesn't help that Covid has now ceased visitation. From the onset, we decided it's best to hold off on visitation to avoid cross-contamination. Neither were thinking that it would last this long, but here we are.
All this time at home and adjusting to a new lifestyle means a lot of time to reflect. Whether this was during a Covid-free world or not, the stress will not be that much different. We're talking finances. It's hardly ever an easy conversation.
As I write this, I realize that this was a major point of contention in the marriage, long term versus short term thinking/planning. One of my many frustrations was that I was left making plans for everything. He was just along for the ride. When things didn't go as planned, I often got the response, well, it was your idea.
My internal struggle has been whether this is the "right time" all things considered. Ultimately, there will never be an ideal time. This is a matter of putting my ego aside and doing what's best for my little one. With five years in the parenting game, I can say with confidence that doing the right thing and fighting for our kids is most assuredly the way to go.
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