The New Ripley’s Believe it or Not! came out and I’m in it!!!! Pages 130 and 131!!
When last we met, I was bitching and moaning about my ex husband and his unbelievable new assertion that even though he makes nearly 40% more now than he did when we went through mediation in December and pays less than Ľ of his income for me to raise his four children [mostly] full time, his child support obligation is too much—says he can’t afford it.
He thinks I should be a respiratory therapist instead of an artist and assumes that I would make more money that way and so ants to work on a plan that would “impute” income to me.
I have done some research and have consulted with my D lawyer (who is now a deputy prosecutor and cannot offer official advice so it was “off the record).
The long and short of it is that ironically, Mitch would end up owing me MORE if I were to find myself working as an RT again. The reason is that with all the time I would need childcare, I could, on my side of things impute imaginary childcare costs against his imaginary imputed salary and voila—he’d end up owing me nearly $1,000 more a month. I worked it out on the worksheet.
The unofficial advice from the L is to write Mitch’s lawyer in an effort to avoid unnecessary legal expenses and give her my findings with the supporting documents (job listings and quotes from babysitting services). If he ends up taking me to court anyway, at least I can show that I tried to settle it out of court and I would ask the court to make him pay my legal fees.
I like the idea of not dealing with Mitch directly at this point. I do not trust him anymore to deal with me in a direct way. I will copy a letter to him though. I will keep it all very fact based and edit out my emotional response (which for me is always hard to do).
Anyway, back to the book—it came in the mail today. My oldest son brought it in when he came in from school and we shrieked with delight. It couldn’t have been better timing! It reminds me that I am doing exactly what I am best qualified to do. If I were to go back to work as a therapist, after being out of the biz for over a decade, it would NOT be what I am most qualified to do and it would NOT be in the best interest of the children and after all, that’s what it’s all about.
since I'm in a "I deserve to be loved and adored and served peeled grapes" kind of mood, howz about I summon Santhony to mix us up his new, yet to be invented "Queen of the World."
It will be savory and heady and make us swoon with passion and delight.
Congrats on being in the Believe it or Not book. That is sooo cool!
Me:57 H:52 M:28 Got another lawyer last year and filed. D35,S/D twins28,D22 EA4/04 End? Who knows? "Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you." — Peace Pilgrim
