Went to a Christmas party in the neighborhood. W was there. We mostly talked to different groups, but were pleasant to one another.
We had a bunch of things to talk about, so yesterday I asked her if she wanted to meet me for lunch today. We had a nice meal and chat for a bit. There wasn't any pursuing involved, and I'm sure she knew that when I pulled out a long list of things I wanted to discuss.
Mostly, it centered around Christmas, and making plans, what to buy for the kids so we didn't duplicate stuff, where were the kids going to stay, that kind of thing, but we also discussed refinancing the house, health care, etc. It could have been contentious, but I was thoughtful and polite, and got everything I wanted from the conversation.
Then she wanted to discuss something; alimony and child support. She confided she's having trouble making ends meet, and mentioned that she could take me back to a support conference because she thinks she deserves more money (I think she might get a bit more, but not much, and certainly not as much as she believes). She knows child support is going to drop off in June when S graduates, and then in 2 more years when D graduates, and I think she is just starting to realize how strapped for money she will be then.
She said, basically, since she was so generous in not taking me back to get more support, would I consider continuing child support until the kids were out of college. I am very proud of myself for the way I handled it. I didn't laugh in her face, but echoed her statements, and validated with statements like "yes, that will be very hard." Told her I'd think about it.
And I will. I know my moral obligation to support my kids doesn't end when they graduate from HS. I'm happy to help buy clothes, and feed and house them. But I think she's out of her mind if she thinks I'm going to continue to pay child support 1 day longer than I have to.
Anyone else run into anything like this?
M:23 T:26 Me:53, Wife: 60 S:18 D:16 filed 7/16 W moved out 4/28/17
