A mum was left shocked after an ex-partner asked to see ‘receipts’ for the child support he’d recently started paying, asking others if they felt he deserved to have proof.
Child support is an inevitably tricky side of co-parenting, being a payment that’s supposed to help cover a child’s living costs when one parent does not live with them full time.
But while many former couples understand the awkward transaction is simply part of raising a child after breaking up, one woman found herself in a particularly confusing situation when her ex asked to see proof of where his cash was going.
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Taking to the Parenting Tips Facebook page for advice, the mum wrote: "He just paid child support, now he’s asking me to start showing him receipts… for what?
"Do you think he’s right for asking?"
Her quandary sparked a surprising debate online, with some siding with the ex in question.
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"He is paying the support he has been asked to,” one – a male user – wrote.
“Now, he asks for the receipt as reassurance that you are getting the child what they need and not spending it on your own personal lifestyle choices.
"I believe it's fair to ask as a way to make sure he is making the correct choice to keep paying you without feeling like he is being played or made a fool of and being taken advantage of."
Another agreed that the ex deserved to ‘know where his money is going’, while a third wrote: "Absolutely. If showing receipts is a problem, then you're hiding something. Stop being weird."
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However, many others felt the mum didn’t owe the ex anything when it came to proof of child support.
One commented: "Child support is reimbursement for what you already paid on your child. You don't need to show anything."
Someone else pointed out: "That's why the court doesn't ask for receipts or tell you how to spend it."
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Another put it less politely, saying they would ‘tell him to f**k off’, while one said: "What you do with your child support is none of his business. He doesn't need proof of anything. That money goes to you to help you support your child which includes things like rent, bills, food, and literally anything you pay for that benefits your child.”
Topics: Parenting
Jess Hardiman