Need Advice from Fathers or mothers with custody and childsupport experience?
I need advice pls. I have been seeing this guy who has a two year old daughter. Since this is my first relationship with children involved I am clueless about anything to do with custody or childsupport. This situation is is that the mother and the father have the child 3 1/2 days of each week each, neither of them have custody and they were not married before. The father pays child support each week () while the mother has no job. Before she worked a "few" hours a day until she lost her job. This was not a problem but here lately we feel that the child support is not going to things for the child. While she is unemployed such things as two lap tops, nails and hair kept up monthly and new rainbow shoes have been noticed. The mother lives with her father, pays no rent and has no other bills except a cell phone and gas. This past week when the father went to pick up the child the only thing in the refrigerator was cool aid and a pack of ham (keep in mind that she get food stamps each month also). I mean the mother told the father that she does not even brush the childs teeth because she screams and crys saying also that a mouse chewed up her toothpaste and she can’t afford to get her more. I worked with the child and within minutes got her to brush her teeth on her own. Is there anything that can be done? Why is it right for the father to have to keep up two house holds when he has the child half of the time? Can he instead of paying child support go and get groceries, clothes etc for the child as long as he spends the same amount weekly? Will this stand up in court if he keeps all record of this?
We have kept documentation of everything for months: weight of the child, conversations with mother, behavior changes in the child etc. The father is wanting to take the mother to court but is fearful that it may back fire on him with the NC court system. Any advice?