I need to vent....

[blackbelt2003]

Feel like a vent, guys. Touched on this on the super hero thread, but felt like typing it out to you all for a bit of self-therapy.

OK, so I split up with my ex 18 months ago. She treated me like shit, I recognise that, but I've tried my best to be civil with her as we have a four year old daughter. She also had a six year old son from a previous relationship, and I continued to see him after we split up.

Since she's a pretty lazy parent (a weed-smoking hippy, to be honest), I got to see the kids real regular, having my daughter four days a week (but overnight only three so she can get her social money, lol) and the boy weekends as he had school. However, she began reducing the time I had with the boy to fortnightly, and the kid also got introduced to his 'new' dad (her new fella), meaning he had three dads. I felt this was confusing for the boy, and I also had no say in how often I could see him as he's legally not mine. I knew at some point I'd get frozen out altogether in the future so I bit the bullet and said I had to stop seeing him before it got out of hand.

She's been mad at me ever since about that.

But she's recently turned into a bitch with our little girl, too. She sent me a text out of the blue (and I swear to you all it was unprovoked) saying, "I've decided because of your recent behaviour you are no longer going to see your daughter. Take it to court." I went back through my texts (I only communicate with the bitch via text as she has a temper), but the only thing I could find that would resemble 'bad behaviour' was a mild argument about holiday dates.

After three weeks of not seeing my little girl I contacted a mediation service to get something official documented in case I went to court. Before I went through with it she sent a bit of an apology and I began seeing Eliza every weekend again. It all seemed to be going quite well until today I got a text saying, "You're not having Eliza this weekend. I've decided you're only having her every other weekend now as my family don't get to spend enough time with her."

I've started mediation again, but TBH I'm fucking worried about all the horror stories you hear about Dads who go to court and end up only seeing the kid once a month. Eliza is my kid through-and-through; she has all my characteristics, all my personality, all of my traits and I know she is happier with me than her mom, although I'd never need bring any of this up if she wasn't trying to fuck around with our time together. Her mom is an angry stress-head and Eliza always seems on edge and uneasy around her.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me one of you guys went to court for your kids and came out good. I need a nice, happy story to calm my thoughts!!!




Black