Single mother hits out at ‘cunning’ ex who refuses to pay full child maintenance fees in viral post
A single mother has written a scathing open letter to her ex partner, who she claims refuses to pay the full amount of the child maintenance fees he legally owes her.
Writing on the Facebook page for her blog Single Mum Still Standing, the mother-of-two lambasts her ex for thinking she uses that money to fund her own lifestyle, an accusation she vehemently denies:
"Let me spell this out for you – any money you pay to help with the raising of our children goes directly to our children,” she writes.
"I’ve got two jobs to fund my own lifestyle and pay for our children. It’s a simple concept you don’t seem to be able to grasp.
"So you’re barking up the wrong tree when you bitterly tell me I should maybe ‘go out less’ when I challenge you over your child maintenance payments."
She continues to witheringly chastise her ex for “stalking” her Instagram and Facebook profiles and subsequently trying to use this against her by claiming she is spending the maintenance fees to fund her weekend activities.
However, she insists, these activities are funded by herself and herself alone:
"In the words of Destiny’s Child, ‘The shoes on my feet, I bought em - I depend on me, if I want it'."
She continues to explain how that money is actually spent on providing a stable and comfortable home environment for their children by contributing to the mortgage and funding childcare, swimming lessons, football coaching and school uniform.
“Your money helps to put clothes on their backs,” she writes, “it contributes towards the laundry powder used to wash said clothes.
“It also buys the birthday presents,” she adds, “and thank god I do, because on our daughter’s fifth birthday, despite having her for two hours after school, you didn’t give her yet one single present.
“Imagine if I'd done the same as you that day - she wouldn’t have got anything for her birthday.
“You should take a walk in my shoes one day and you will see your cash is key to providing the lifestyle our children deserve.”
The anonymous mother goes on to explain that her former partner is legally obliged to pay 16 per cent of his gross weekly income as a non-resident parent with two children
“That’s it, 16 per cent. So it’s not going to leave you short is it?” she writes.
“It’s not going to de-home you from your five bedroom house. I wish I could pay 16 per cent of what I earn and have it cover an all-inclusive rate for everything my children need and want – wow I’d be rich.
“You see I spend pretty much every penny I earn on our children.”
The mother-of-two concludes by calling on MPs to do more to ensure the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) holds non-resident parents accountable in instances when they don’t make payments on time or don’t pay as much as they should.
“It’s too easy to hide with the CMS,” she says, telling The Independent that the main aim in writing the post was not in fact to shame her ex, but to raise awareness for what she describes as a "flawed" CMS.
“Non-resident parents can either run their own business/become self employed and hide any dividends or, work cash in hand so they can keep it all," her post continues.
“I speak on behalf of all single parents when I say this simply isn't good enough, the current UK system isn't good enough.
“MPs need to wake up and do more to give the CMS better powers to financially investigate non-resident parents.”
Finally, addressing her ex, the mother likens his failure to pay the full amount he owes to “just another parenting failure”.
“It’s just as bad as failing to turn up to our son’s Christmas play after promising him you would be there,” she continues.
“It’s on a par with refusing to take our son to his much-loved football on YOUR weekends, it's just like making our daughter stop her dance class on the day you have her. The list goes on.
“I don’t expect you to do the right thing. You are a rubbish father. Luckily, they have me.”
