For anyone who doesn't know, child support payments are a series of periodical financial payments made by a parent to benefit a child (or children) after the end of a marriage or relationship.
Basically, it's like an allowance given to another parent to help raise the kids.
Even though it's the parent who's receiving the money from their ex-partner, it's really meant to be used on their kids.
Not surprisingly, close friends and family around her do not agree.
Her sister-in-law and her friend, Dave, have both reminded her that those payments are quite literally meant to go towards supporting her children. Hence the name.
Her sister-in-law agreed and said the child support should go into a different account because after all, “it’s not technically your money, is it?"
She lists the things her own weekly payments go towards, or what she calls "the essentials".
"If at the end of all that I have some ‘play money’ (and let’s face it, that is not often), then that extra cash for me to enjoy," she wrote. "I do earn it after all."
"Because the needs of our children do not change based on the mood he is in, the amount of overtime he has worked or whether he has enough sick leave to cover flu season, I take care of their needs out of the income I can rely on," she wrote.
As the custodial parent, the woman insisted she doesn't owe anyone any explanation on her spending.
"Custodial parents, bearing the full cost of raising the children, should never have to explain away or justify their spending."
"And this week, courtesy of my ex-husband, my nails are unapologetically fabulous."
Yikes.
As long as her children are kept well-fed, clothed, and happy (which, if her essay is any indication, it sounds like they are), then perhaps it's fair to say she should be free to spend a little money treating herself here and there.
That being said, something just feels really wrong about taking money out of payments meant for your children and your children alone. I just can't get behind this one.
h/t: Cafe Mom
