Please Refer To The Divorce Decree

Every time my ex has to pay something outside of his regular (meager) child support obligation, he whines, moans, ignores me, and refuses to pay until the eleventh hour when I threaten to file a contempt motion with the court.

Let me stress this man did VERY well in our divorce settlement. I settled for less than half of the court-ordered child support. He ended up with the entire contents of our home, and the proceeds of the sale of the house went to pay off his enormous IRS debt.
I agreed to all of these things just to move the divorce along because the whole sordid ordeal dragged on for almost a year. The fact that he bitches and moans over a few hundred dollars here and there chaps my ass. Plus, this man makes about twice as much as I do.

What really bothers me is that he signed this damn divorce decree! If he found the terms so objectionable, maybe he should have discussed it with his $500-per-hour lawyer. Oh, that’s right... he did discuss it with her. And she told him he was getting a sweet deal and to shut up!

And what exactly is in the decree? We will split our son’s summer camp, non-reimbursed medical expenses (including orthodontia), child care expenses (no longer an issue, he’s 13), and fees for after-school activities and sports. We are supposed to split these costs 50/50 (the court said 60/40, since he makes so much more than I do, but nooooooo.... I said 50/50 was fine). Every single time an expense comes up, the man flips out.

“I’m not paying for half of the lacrosse registration!! I don’t have any money!” He yelps.

“That’s unfortunate. You’ve known about this fee for months. I already paid for the whole thing since you said you had no money. As per our decree, you have 30 days to reimburse me,” I explain. For the millionth time, I say, “Please refer to the divorce decree.”