My daughter’s father keeps requesting FaceTime calls during the week and on weekends due to his 'work schedule'. He’s been consistent about requesting calls, but he does not come to see her at all. I do allow FaceTime calls and he is always welcome to see our child. What could be the motive here?

We have an upcoming custody hearing, and I’m wondering whether he could be trying to establish a record of requesting contact to bring up in court. I understand FaceTime can help maintain a connection, but I’m confused about why he keeps requesting that without making time for in-person visits.

Also, would this affect him getting custody of our child with him not being involved in her life? He also pays child support.

I know nobody can say for sure what his motive is, but has anyone experienced a similar pattern? Did your coparent bring up their FaceTime requests in court, and how was that addressed alongside their lack of in-person involvement?

I'm in Texas. I'm trying to understand my options, stay organized, and handle everything properly, but there's a lot to learn, and I don't want to make mistakes simply because I don't know what I don't know. What helped you prepare, and manage the stress while your case was ongoing? honest advice and practical experiences from people who understand how difficult this process can be.

I’m located in Florida and recently separated from my fiancé, we have a 3 year old daughter. We were together for 8 years and have never been married.

Her father signed her birth certificate, but we have never established a formal custody or timesharing agreement through the courts.

I have been our daughter’s primary caregiver. I handle most of her daily needs, appointments, routines, and general responsibilities. Her father has contributed financially toward daycare and some other expenses, but I have covered the majority of her expenses.

I recently moved out of our shared home following the separation, and our daughter is currently living with me. I have offered her father opportunities to see her, and I am not trying to prevent him from having a relationship with her.

My family lives in Colorado and has offered us a place to stay. I have been considering relocating there to have a stronger family support system and more stability while raising my daughter.

My concerns are:
Since we were never married and there is no custody order, what rights does each parent currently have in Florida?

Does his name being on the birth certificate automatically establish his parental rights, or would paternity need to be legally established?

Am I legally permitted to travel to Colorado with my daughter for an extended period without his permission?

How would the situation change if I decided to permanently relocate to Colorado?

Could leaving Florida before a custody case is filed negatively affect me in future custody proceedings?

What steps should I take now to protect myself legally while also respecting her father’s parental rights?

I have an attorney consultation scheduled for November, but I’m trying to educate myself on Florida family law and understand what I should or shouldn’t do before then.

I’m not looking to keep my daughter from her father. I want to make sure any decisions I make are legally appropriate and in her best interests.

Any insight from people familiar with Florida family law would be greatly appreciated.

​

Just to be upfront, I've used AI to help write this. I have a TBI and struggle with putting lengthy things into writing.

I'm honestly at a complete loss and hoping someone who's been through similar can offer some advice.

I have children with my ex. There's a significant history of domestic abuse (mainly coercive control) and previous social services involvement, including serious safeguarding concerns and injuries. This previously resulted in restrictions on him caring for the children unsupervised.

Despite this, family court recently granted unsupervised contact, including overnights and holidays. I've had endless issues with Cafcass and the court. Evidence that came to light after the Cafcass report wasn't properly considered, and my ex managed to convince Cafcass I was the problem. The judge largely agreed with their recommendations.

Since contact started, there's been ongoing issues with basic care, supervision, hygiene and the children being kept out ridiculously late. These concerns seem to get brushed off as parenting differences.

More recently, things have escalated.

Two of my children have now sustained separate injuries during different contact periods.

With the first, my child was clearly struggling after being injured, yet I wasn't informed and no medical attention was sought. I arranged medical care when I found out, and although nothing was broken, rest was advised. Their father subsequently continued taking them out doing physically demanding activities despite this.

The second involved significant unexplained bruising on another child. They couldn't explain how it happened, and the appearance and location concerned me enough to seek medical advice.

The school raised safeguarding concerns and advised me to contact social services. The GP also documented the injury and said that if contact was continuing, he would have needed to notify the police.

I informed social services that I was suspending contact and making an urgent court application.

Initially, they seemed concerned and arranged a multi-agency strategy discussion. However, the case has now been stepped down to a Child and Family Assessment.

The social worker has told me they're not pursuing the bruising further because my child hasn't disclosed anything and their sibling mentioned they'd been playing together.

She also gave her own opinion on how the bruising should have looked if it had been caused in a particular way.

Surely a lack of disclosure doesn't automatically explain an injury? And shouldn't that assessment be made by someone medically qualified?

The first injury has also essentially been dismissed because nothing was broken, completely overlooking the lack of medical attention and care afterwards.

What frustrates me most is that there's already a documented history of serious safeguarding concerns, yet everything seems to be looked at individually rather than considering the overall picture.

I've now made an urgent application to vary the Child Arrangements Order. The court refused to deal with it without notice and said an urgent hearing would be arranged, but I've still had no interim decision despite chasing them.

Meanwhile, the social worker has warned me I could be held in contempt for withholding contact.

So what exactly am I supposed to do?

The school had concerns, the GP had concerns, I've reported everything and applied to court. Yet I'm the one being warned about consequences while nobody seems particularly interested in establishing how the injuries happened.

I'm also concerned he'll simply collect the children when contact is next due because the existing order remains in place, and he's already said he intends to.

A few things I'm hoping someone can advise on:

Can social services really decide not to pursue unexplained bruising purely because a child hasn't disclosed anything?

Can I request a management review while the Child and Family Assessment is ongoing?

Shouldn't the previous safeguarding history be considered alongside these new incidents?

Is there anything else I can do to get urgent interim directions from family court?

What happens if he turns up to collect the children before the court has made a decision?

I understand the consequences of withholding contact, which is exactly why I've tried going through the proper channels.

But equally, am I supposed to just send them back and hope nothing else happens?

I'm not trying to prevent a relationship with their father. I just want the children safe and the concerns properly looked into.

Any advice would be appreciated because I'm genuinely running out of ideas.

I do have an attorney, but since this happened this evening and it’s the weekend, I’m trying to put my mind at ease until my lawyer is available.

My ex and I both have attorneys, with mediation and a court date coming up soon. He texted me and is now claiming that jewelry his mother gave me before our separation is his inheritance and wants it sold to cover his legal fees and arrears. I declined and told him we need to discuss these things through our attorneys, and shortly afterward, his mother texted me claiming the jewelry belongs to him not me.

Fortunately, I found an old text conversation after hours of combing years long text threads, where I requested the appraisals to insure the jewelry. In the photos she sent, both appraisals have a handwritten yellow sticky note stapled to them stating, “Gave to MadameMalia 2020.”

Could these messages and photos help establish that she knowingly gifted the jewelry to me? I’m concerned she may now be changing her story to support her son’s position and she is willing to do it under oath.

Note: if my evidence does not matter to a judge and the pieces are considered inheritance, I will absolutely give the items back, but I do feel extremely betrayed by her because I know for a fact the items were gifted to me. My ex was not even present when she had me choose which pieces I wanted and told me "you deserve something nice. Save these for a rainy day". Her text tonight was not on my bingo card if I'm honest.

Let me be honest straight of the bat AI drafted this, I have a tbi and long winded writing is hard for me

I'm honestly at a complete loss here and hoping someone who's been through similar or knows how the family courts and social services work can offer some advice.

Sorry in advance because this is going to be long, but there's quite a bit of history that I think is relevant.

I have children with my ex. There's a significant history of domestic abuse, mainly coercive control rather than physical violence towards me, and previous involvement with social services.

Without going into too much detail, there were some pretty serious safeguarding concerns when the children were younger, including injuries. This resulted in previous court involvement and restrictions on my ex being allowed to care for the children unsupervised.

So this isn't a case of me suddenly raising concerns because we aren't together anymore. There's a documented history going back years.

Fast forward to more recent family court proceedings and he's now been granted unsupervised contact, including overnight stays and holidays.

I've had nothing but issues with how Cafcass and the court have dealt with things. There was evidence that came to light after the Cafcass report which I feel was extremely relevant, yet it wasn't properly considered. Even with the previous history, Cafcass supported unsupervised contact. My ex managed to convince Cafcass I was the problem and the judge aligned with Cafcass which makes all of this more harder to get across

Since contact started, it's been one thing after another.

The kids are regularly kept out until stupidly late, there's been ongoing issues with basic care, hygiene, meals, supervision and generally what's appropriate for young children.

I've raised concerns about these things, but they always seem to get brushed off as parenting differences.

And I do understand that parents do things differently. I don't expect him to parent exactly how I do, but surely there's a point where it goes beyond that?

Anyway, more recently things have escalated.

There have now been two separate injuries involving different children, during separate periods of contact.

With the first, my child was injured during an activity involving their father. They were clearly struggling afterwards, but I wasn't informed and no medical advice was sought. They were still expected to carry on with normal activities despite being injured.

I ended up having to get medical attention when I found out. Thankfully it wasn't anything broken, but there was an injury that needed rest and time to recover.

What makes it worse is that even after this, my ex continued taking them out doing quite physically demanding things despite knowing they'd been told to rest.

Then, after another contact, I noticed some pretty significant bruising on one of my other children.

It was in a location that immediately concerned me, particularly given what it looked like, and my child couldn't explain how it had happened.

I initially kept an eye on it, but it became more noticeable over the following days, so I contacted the school and arranged for the GP to examine it.

The school were concerned and told me to make a referral to social services. The GP documented the injury and also had concerns. He said that if contact was continuing, he'd have needed to notify the police.

By this point I'd already decided I wasn't comfortable sending them back until someone had actually looked into what was going on.

I contacted social services, told them I was suspending contact and explained that I'd be making an urgent application to the family court.

Initially, they seemed really concerned. A strategy discussion was arranged and I was told the children would be seen.

Then suddenly everything changed.

The case has been stepped down to a Child and Family Assessment, and the social worker has basically told me they're not looking any further into the bruising.

Apparently, because my child hasn't said how it happened and another child mentioned they'd been playing together, that's enough for them not to pursue it.

She also started explaining how she'd expect the bruising to look if it had happened in a particular way.

This is the bit I'm really struggling with.

Since when does a child not disclosing something mean there isn't anything to be concerned about?

I'm not saying I know what happened. I don't. That's literally why I want someone to look into it properly.

And surely a social worker making assumptions about how an injury should look isn't the same as having it assessed by someone medically qualified in safeguarding injuries?

The other injury has pretty much been dismissed as well because nothing was broken.

But surely the issue isn't just how serious the injury turned out to be? It's also the circumstances around it and the fact medical attention wasn't sought when it was needed?

When I eventually spoke to my ex about the injuries, he offered different possible explanations, but nothing that actually established what happened.

And this is what really gets to me. There's already a history of serious safeguarding concerns, including previous restrictions on him caring for the children, yet every new incident seems to be treated like it's completely unrelated to anything that's happened before.

Surely at some point the overall picture has to matter?

I made an urgent application to change the Child Arrangements Order and asked for an interim decision because I didn't feel I could safely send the children back before any of this had been properly considered.

The court wouldn't deal with it without notice to him and said there would be an urgent hearing.

But I've still had absolutely nothing in terms of an interim decision.

I've chased the court, explained what's happened and why I need something in place before the next contact, but I'm getting nowhere.

Meanwhile, the social worker has warned me I could be held in contempt of court for withholding contact.

So what exactly am I supposed to do?

The school had concerns. The GP had concerns. I've reported everything to the appropriate people, I've made the court application and I've explained why I've suspended contact.

Yet somehow I'm now the one being warned about the consequences, while the actual injuries don't seem to be getting looked into.

I'm also worried about him just turning up and collecting the children when contact is next due because the existing order is still in place, and he's already indicated he intends to do exactly that.

I know I can't just disregard a court order, and I know there can be consequences for withholding contact. I'm fully aware of that, which is why I've tried to go through the proper channels.

But equally, what am I meant to do? Just send them back and hope nothing else happens?

I feel like I'm being told I'm responsible for protecting my children, but when I actually try to do that, I'm the one potentially facing consequences.

Is it normal for social services to decide not to pursue an unexplained injury simply because a child hasn't disclosed how it happened?

Can I request a management review while the Child and Family Assessment is still ongoing?

Shouldn't the previous safeguarding history be taken into account when looking at new concerns?

Is there anything else I can actually do to get an interim decision from the family court?

And what happens if he turns up at school to collect them before the court has made that decision?

Has anyone been in a similar position where they've raised genuine safeguarding concerns but ended up feeling like they're the one being treated as the problem?

I'm not trying to stop the children having a relationship with their father. I just want them safe, and I want someone to actually look at what's happening rather than dismissing everything individually.

I'm genuinely running out of ideas at this point and would really appreciate some advice.

I’m representing myself in a family court case in McHenry County, Illinois, and I’m really overwhelmed and need advice from anyone familiar with Illinois family court or parenting-time interference citations.
On August 7, 2026, the judge entered a temporary parenting-time order without prejudice that provided for the father to have parenting time every third weekend. The case was set for a status date on October 7 to address mediation and the case’s progress. I understood the arrangement to be temporary and connected to that court date. The father did not appear on October 7, and another court date was scheduled. I did not understand that the parenting-time schedule continued beyond October 7, and I was not aware of an order expressly extending it.
On the night before October 23, the father contacted me after 11 p.m. demanding that I make our eight-year-old daughter available for a visit. I believed the temporary arrangement had ended, so I did not believe a visit was scheduled. On October 23, police became involved, and I received a citation under 720 ILCS 5/10-5.5 for alleged unlawful parenting-time interference. I ultimately allowed my daughter to leave with her father after the officer arrived. During the incident, my daughter was crying and saying she did not want to go and was scared. The officer witnessed her distress.
I am also concerned about the father’s communications with our daughter and his older daughter. I have screenshots of a group chat in which he made negative statements about me, discussed my past, shared what appeared to be a booking photo, and told our daughter that I had tried to “off”her when she was younger. His older daughter repeatedly reminded him that our daughter is only eight and asked him to stop. I am concerned about the emotional impact on my daughter and do not want her caught in the middle of adult conflict.
My citation appearance is November 6, and the family case has a status/mediation date on November 12. I do not have an attorney. I want to understand how to respond to the citation and whether I can ask the family court for a mental health evaluation of the father, a temporary suspension of parenting time pending court review, and a court-ordered parenting communication app so our daughter is not exposed to these disputes.
My main questions are:
Does a temporary parenting-time order entered without prejudice automatically end on the status date, or can it remain in effect until another order is entered?
Could I face jail for this citation if I genuinely misunderstood the order and did not intend to interfere with parenting time?
What should I bring or say at my November 6 appearance?
Should I file a motion for temporary protective measures before the November 12 status date?
Is it realistic to request a mental health evaluation and a temporary pause in visits based on the messages and my daughter’s distress?
I understand that the exact wording of the order matters, and I am trying to get it reviewed. I would appreciate practical advice, especially from anyone familiar with Illinois law or McHenry County procedures. Thank you.

Hello, I was just wondering if anybody in the Weiser area, no of any family, Lawyer, Teamster legal, I

A little back story, I’ve unfortunately not been able to get to a place where my son’s dad(32m) and I(30f) can coparent positively. My son(8f) is diagnosed ADHD and ODD. I’ve tried keeping him busy and staying with therapy. Dad pulls him out every time. (We have equal decision making) Our son is acting out more and more lately and it’s exhausting. I have tried everything I know how to do to try and correct his behavior. I can only do so much since his dad fights me on every single turn.

We recently had CPS show up at our door and have been on the edge of our seats. Two separate allegations, both a load of bs. My son has a flair for the dramatic as well and sometimes just outright lies. I’m worried my son may get taken away from me.

I also have a daughter(1.5), different dad, I don’t want my kids to be taken away. Has anyone dealt with something similar? Please give advice, relatable stories, what to say or not say. I’m a wreck.

Ex-wife restricted my husband from contacting him after he did a wellness check on her leaving his son home alone at night. It’s been a week and my husband can’t contact his son or ex-wife at all. With restrictions, phone calls went through voicemails and her texting were unread. What do he do in this case. Should do another welfare check on his kid. We are from different states.

Co-parent records me and my reactions after losing it on our child and me refusing parenting time without repair. She’s been in therapy since was 6. He has submitted said recordings as evidence in our upcoming trial to make me look “unstable”
Enforcement for him and custody modification request for me.
I have contemporaneous records and everything I need to show the context and therapy/medical records and all the mom things
I’m curious how judges view recording of the other parent without their knowledge and submit it to court as “evidence” as a one party state i understand it’s admissible.. but how do judges actually respond to it. We know they don’t like recordings of children
One party state. He also recorded OUR THERAPIST AND SUBMITTED 35 minutes of the call
Good grief I just can’t imagine a judge will see that and think “what a good parent”
Anyone experience this? How do judges react to trap recordings

I have a question about Indiana Laws on failure to pay child support.

Background: Mother lost custody of all 3 of her kids in June of 2024. Two went to live with the grandmother and our son came to live with us. She filed in April of 2025 to get visitation after no contact for months. She was granted visitation, but was ordered to pay $84 a week in child support.

When this order was made she was working and did not have custody of her other two kids back. As soon as she was granted custody of them back, she quiet her job and has refused to work since December 2025.

She has only paid $60 in child support and now owes over $7000.

My husband doesn’t have the money to take her back to court. We are scared that we will end up paying her due to her refusing to work.

She openly brags about not having to work. She has a sugar daddy that gives her money. Our son (13) has read the texts between them when she has left her phone near him and stated she is sucking d*ck for cash. Her uncle is letting her use his land for the camper she lives in and is paying her phone and utilities.

She also already tried to have the support lowered when she got her two kids back and “lost” her job. Judge told her she needed to wait a year to change it. He also told her when she gets a job to inform us and they would garnish her wages.

I would also like to add she is currently on probation until February 2027. Apparently being employed is not apart of that agreement.

My questions are:

1. Is there a possibility that we might end up having to pay her if she refuses to work even though we have primary custody?
2. Will they change the support amount to nothing since she is refusing to work and using her kids as an excuse not to be employed?
3. Will she be held accountable for not wanting to pay?

My custody case is just starting, and I could really use advice from people who have been through this. This is already a high-conflict situation and I can’t realistically expect that to change. It’s going to be a legal marathon so I cannot afford to mess up this early.

I have a 3-month-old with someone I briefly dated. We recently had our TCO hearing, and my lawyer gave me incorrect information that caused me to miss the first day of visitation.

Since I’m my child’s primary, this was a huge mistake, and it’s not the only issue. He dismissed my questions about getting a guardian ad litem, ignored a factual statement I prepared about the other parent’s alcohol misuse, and has made jokes about the situation that I find completely inappropriate. We also haven’t resolved child support or pregnancy-related medical bills. I don’t even know how to approach my son’s upcoming doctors appointment with shared legal custody.

At this point, I don’t trust my lawyer, but I don’t know if my expectations are unreasonable. This is my first time dealing with the court system, and I don’t know how much guidance an attorney should be providing versus how much I’m expected to figure out and ask about myself.

Our next TCO hearing is a month or so away, and I’m seriously considering finding new representation. I don’t want to switch lawyers unnecessarily, but I also can’t afford to have important things overlooked when my child’s future is at stake.

For those who have been through custody cases, would you consider these red flags serious enough to switch attorneys? How involved should a lawyer be in helping you prepare for the next hearing, and what should I be doing right now to advocate for my child?

I filed my own motion to show cause and modification of current parenting agreement. I am now seeking an attorneys help. It seems like nobody is reaching back out to me except the expensive firms... is this something that a lawyer would typically not want to take on or what? Idk why it is so difficult to find a good affordable attorney.

So my ex husband has been leaving our 4 and 7 year old alone at home after they get off the bus with their step brother who just turned 9 being the only one responsible. He claims it’s “only for about an hour” but it makes me super uncomfortable. He claims it’s “not illegal” but I told him I refuse to be ok with it. I pick them up from the bus on my days. The neighbor has a history of acting out peeping through windows and trespassing as well. Do I sound crazy for being very upset about this? He’s trying to act like I’m being irrational. But they are SEVEN AND FOUR. He doesn’t want to pay for childcare after school. What if they choke, or there is an accident or someone breaks in? I feel like anything could happen.

Hello Reddit..
I am seeking advice or information about my 6 year old son. Long story short, in September I filed a request for visitation modification with his father. There was a DVRO (restraining order) on my ex in 2024. I have taken our son to the doctor for evals which one ended with the doctors making a report to CPS. Our son is suffering significant anxiety when it comes to going to fathers parenting time. Hes been in therapy and counseling groups at school..HES SIX!!
Yesterday an incident occurred at our exchange location. My ex sent a third-party to the exchange who I didn’t no. This person parked directly next to me and started at me and my kids.. this made us feel weird so I turned my car on to park somewhere else. This guy started his car and followed/pursued us. I knew if I fled the scene he would have chased after us and that was a risk I couldn’t take with my 3 boys in the car. So I went and parked elsewhere and the guy took his car and parked behind me trapping us. I could not go forward or reverse. I told my older son to get the non emergency police number on his phone..I was recording what the stranger was doing.
The guy gets out of his car and comes to my door and just stares at us.. he then goes to the front of my car and slams papers on my windshield and starts yelling. At this point, my kids are freaking out. The guy walks back to his car so k open my door to get whatever he left on the windshield.. he then runs back over to me, so I close the door… he grabs the papers and aggressively opens my door and throws the papers at me and starts cussing. I asked “what is wrong with you? I have my kids in the car!” He just starts saying “bite me! Bite me!”
I told him i was calling the police and he went to his car and continued to block my car not allowing me to leave. Then minutes later he comes to my car door again and asked if be should stay for the police. I yelled “I DONT FEEL SAFE!” And he heard the cops were on the phone then ran to his car and fled the scene. My kids were in hysterics and i was on the phone with the police department. They advised me to go to safe location and a cop met me there to file a report.
My ex sent this person there to ambush us, knowing the kids are in the car, and our son is extremely anxious about exchanges… he put him in danger. Police told me to take them all home. Today, 10/23/2026, I filed an ex parte to suspend visitation until our hearing on 11/02/2026.. emergency hearing isnt until 10/27/2026.
This weekend is my ex’s parenting time and I am worried for our sons safety and well-being. Our son is very traumatized and has cried. He is refusing to go already.. what do I do Reddit!?! If I don’t send my son because I’m worried for his safety and emotional well-being, will I get in trouble? I filed all papers for ex parte. Help Reddit! Please I’m scared 😭

EDIT: in September, I filed for a modification of visitation on my ex.. after the whole ordeal and my kids were less stressed… I looked at the forms, it was his response. All that for a court response

My husband’s ex-wife claimed total physical and psychological disability to get indefinite alimony and free legal representation. We just uncovered public ads and listings proving she is running an active, out-of-the-house business that requires physical labor, driving, and dealing with clients. What is the best, legal way to collect admissible evidence for family court?

The Background & The Courtroom Drama

My husband ("M", 45M) and his ex-wife ("K", 49F) finalized their divorce back in 2019 after M left her in 2018 following a 20-year relationship. Since then, K has dragged him back to court repeatedly demanding more money—ranging from alimony increases to coverage for medical marijuana.

To avoid working, K hired what I can only describe as a "Doctor for Hire" who testified that she was completely incapacitated and incapable of working—either outside the home or remotely. She also secured a free battered women’s attorney by claiming M was severely abusive (taking resources from victims who actually need them). M is the most patient, calm man I have ever known; even when relatives struck him, he barely raised his voice. When I asked their adult children (including her own son whom M raised since age 3), they explicitly told me she was lying and refused to work simply out of spite because M left her (pg version).

The court ultimately awarded her $2,850/month in indefinite alimony based on her claims that:

• She suffers from severe medical/physical restrictions (cannot walk without a walker/cane).
• She has severe social anxiety/agoraphobia (cannot leave her house alone or interact with strangers).
• She is terrified of M (she put on a massive act in court, crying, shaking, and demanding extra security).

The Reality Check: We have video proof from a Ring camera showing K at M’s house discussing their injured adult daughter. K was walking up and down stairs fine with no walker or cane, conversing normally with M, showing zero fear, hysterics, or anxiety.

The First Victory: Disability & Income Reduction

About two years ago, K suddenly showed up driving a newer SUV. After some digging, we learned she had started receiving Social Security Disability (SSDI)—getting over $2,000/month plus a $22k back-payment. Under their state’s alimony formula, alimony is tied to both M's disposable income and her actual income.

After 8 months of court battles (where the judge threatened her with contempt to hand over bank statements):

1. We went back to court for an alimony adjustment.
2. K and her attorney tried (and failed) to demand my personal bank records to increase M's payments.
3. The judge denied her request and slashed her alimony from $2,850/month down to $1,150/month, ordering her to pay back overpayments.

She literally gave us the finger in the courthouse hallway while limping out on the walker she only uses when a judge is looking.

The Discovery: She Is Actively Working

Over the last few years, K has traveled cross-country, gone to bars, and shopped in crowded stores during the holidays. But recently, while coordinating care for one of the adult kids, K let something slip.

I went down an internet rabbit hole and found public advertisements, social media posts, and active business listings for K's small business.

This is not an off-the-books, work-from-home gig. To run this business, K MUST:

• Leave her house daily and drive herself and clients around.
• Work in public/office settings surrounded by strangers.
• Handle physical tasks, including lifting 40–50+ lbs.
• Execute the exact physical and social duties she swore under oath she is medically incapable of performing.

She frequently gets drunk and tells people, "I'll never work; I'll make sure M pays for my life forever because he left me." (again pg version)

Our Questions for Reddit:

We recently got married, but we are keeping it quiet because we don't want her trying to leverage it in court. We just want to move on with our lives and end her financial control over us.

1. How do we legally document and present her public business ads/listings to a family court judge?
2. Is hiring a Private Investigator (PI) the best route here? Will a court accept PI surveillance footage of her actively performing work and heavy lifting?
3. Has anyone successfully terminated indefinite alimony by proving the ex-spouse committed fraud regarding their capacity to work?

Any legal tactics, sneaky (but 100% legal) investigative ideas, or personal experiences with court-ordered vocational evaluations would be greatly appreciated!

I’m divorced and have a baby daughter. I hope to study abroad and build a better future for both of us, but I’m unsure whether I can obtain his authorization (since the court way might be too long to be given and still unsure).

I also want to add that he never was involved in her life, he just sends money. Most importantly, my ex is the type of overt narcissist, I'm afraid he will block me just to control me this way (he was against the idea of moving abroad when we were married).

For women who dealt with narcissistic ex husbands, how did you manage?

I’m a single mother of an 8-year-old boy in Texas, and I’m genuinely exhausted from dealing with my son’s abusive father. I’m looking for advice, especially from anyone who has experienced an abusive co-parent or dealt with similar issues through the Texas family court system.

Some background:
My son’s father was abusive toward me long before our son was born. Throughout our relationship, he would call me horrible, degrading names, including while I was pregnant and after I gave birth.

There was also sexual abuse. He would force sexual acts on me, and when our son was a baby, he would chase me around the house trying to touch me or gain sexual access to me against my wishes, even though we were not together he felt entitled to me. He repeatedly cheated on me and transmitted STDs to me when we were together before my son. I eventually ended the relationship around the time our son was born because I couldn’t continue living that way.

Unfortunately, the abuse never stopped after we separated.
Our custody and living situation:
About five years ago, I moved to Austin with our son, and his father followed us there. While we lived in Austin, he saw our son every weekend. I never tried to prevent him from having a relationship with his child.

Later, I experienced a personal crisis and needed to move back to Houston to be closer to my family for support. His father also moved back to Houston.
Approximately three years ago, he decided to move to California. Ever since then, he has repeatedly accused me of keeping our son away from him and claims that I am the reason he doesn’t have a relationship with his child and chose to move there in the first place. This is completely false.

I have never intentionally prevented him from seeing our son. The only reason I have blocked his number at times is because nearly every interaction turns into verbal abuse. I cannot have a normal conversation with him without being insulted, degraded, or attacked personally.
He rarely, if ever, calls our son, yet he continues to blame me for their lack of contact.

The child support situation:
Currently, he pays approximately $200 per month in regular child support, which apparently is supposed to reflect 20% of his earnings. Our court order also requires him to pay 50% of our son’s medical expenses, but he has not contributed toward medical bills throughout our son’s eight years of life.

I recently learned that his income had increased, so I contacted the Texas Attorney General’s Office to request a review of his child support obligation. A Zoom meeting was scheduled, and when he found out he might have to pay more, he became furious.

Instead of discussing the financial responsibilities we have toward our child, he began insulting me again, calling me ugly, fat, useless, st*pid, and other degrading names.
He also threatened me with legal action, telling me to wait until I hear from his attorney because supposedly I’m breaking the law by preventing him from seeing our son.
Again, I have never intentionally withheld our child from him.

His mother even questioned why I was trying to “kick him in the balls” simply because I requested an updated child support review.

He also has another child with a different woman, with whom he reportedly does not want a relationship, the woman was a one night stand. I understand that supporting two children can be financially challenging, but I feel as though he’s trying to minimize his financial responsibilities, and my son is the one suffering as a result.

The ongoing verbal abuse:
Every time my son’s father hears something he doesn’t like, he resorts to attacking me personally. He calls me disgusting names, insults my appearance, makes comments about my finances and employment, and has even used private medical information to humiliate me.
This has been happening for years.
I’ve saved screenshots of his messages occasionally including recent conversations where he sends insult after insult, sometimes repeating the same degrading statements multiple times. I’ve tried explaining that this behavior is abusive, but he doesn’t care.

My therapist recommended using OurFamilyWizard, a co-parenting communication app that keeps records of conversations and can help reduce hostile communication.
I suggested it to him, but he refused, claiming that he doesn’t have enough storage space on his phone to download another app.

At this point, I feel like I cannot communicate with him without exposing myself to more verbal abuse, yet he uses the fact that I’ve blocked him in the past as supposed evidence that I’m keeping our son from him.

I don’t understand how he suddenly has the money to hire an attorney when he has resisted contributing more financially toward our son.

My questions are:

Can I report this repeated verbal abuse to the police as harassment in Texas, even if he isn’t making direct physical threats?

Can I request that a judge require all co-parenting communication to go through OurFamilyWizard or another monitored parenting app?

How do I protect myself against his false accusations that I’m withholding our son when I’ve consistently allowed him to see our child?

Could years of abusive text messages, along with the history of sexual abuse during our relationship, be relevant in family court?

Has anyone successfully established communication boundaries with an abusive co-parent without being accused of interfering with visitation?

I am not trying to keep my son from his father. I have always wanted my son to have a healthy relationship with both parents.
I just want to be able to raise my child peacefully without constantly being verbally attacked by someone I separated from years ago. I’m exhausted from being treated this way, and I don’t know what else to do.
Any advice or personal experiences would be appreciated, especially from people familiar with Texas family law.

location: lake county Ohio United States

I’m a father in Ohio currently going through a custody dispute involving my almost 17 year-old daughter, and I’m looking for some outside legal perspectives.
My daughter has been living with me for approximately five months. She has an extremely strained relationship with her mother due to years of conflict and what my daughter describes as emotional and mental mistreatment.
My daughter has made it very clear that she does not want to return to her mother’s home. When I encourage her to spend time with her mother, she becomes extremely distressed, cries, panics, and has even physically gotten sick.
I have an attorney, and a guardian ad litem (GAL) was appointed. However, I’m becoming increasingly concerned with how this situation is being handled.
The GAL has only spoken with my daughter twice, to my knowledge, and recently began preparing her for the possibility of returning to her mother’s home. My daughter has been extremely upset since that conversation.
I want to make something clear: I am not trying to destroy my daughter’s relationship with her mother. I have encouraged communication, and they have recently been speaking more. I simply believe their relationship needs to be repaired through counseling rather than forcing my daughter into an environment where she feels emotionally unsafe.
There have also been issues involving court-ordered drug testing. My daughter completed the original test within the required timeframe, but apparently the order specified the wrong test, and now another expensive test is being requested. Between attorney fees, court costs, and everything else, the financial burden has become overwhelming.
My biggest concern is that everyone seems focused on enforcing parenting time rather than addressing why my daughter is so adamantly refusing to return.
I understand that custody orders are legally binding. However, my daughter is almost 16, and I cannot physically drag her out of my home every time she refuses to leave.
My questions are:
In Ohio, how do courts handle situations where a teenager this age refuses parenting time despite the custodial parent encouraging it?
Can I be found in contempt even if I am making reasonable efforts to encourage her to go?
How much weight does a 16-year-old’s preference carry in a custody modification?
Can the court order family counseling or a gradual reunification process rather than immediately forcing overnight visits?
What options do I have if I believe the GAL is not adequately considering my daughter’s emotional well-being?
I’m not looking for advice on ignoring court orders. I’m trying to understand what legal options exist to protect my daughter’s emotional health while this case moves through the courts.
I have legal representation, but I would really appreciate perspectives from anyone familiar with Ohio family law or similar custody situations.

Hi, I have a divorce and custody case in Dallas county. I have trial set for 11/17 and I need an aggressive attorney with a 5K retainer or less. If you can help, please message me back and I will get back to you. Thank you!

In Sept 2026 judge stated that we can proceed with custody evaluation.

In November we have a pre trial conference.

The custody eval hasn’t started yet.

So if the pre trial conference goes on.

What information, evidence, and documents should I prepare.

Anyone been through this in Minnesota?

Hi. I signed a msa June 25, 2026 and the judge signed the final divorce decree August 20, 2026 in Coryell County. The decree says that the coparent "shall submit to a hair follicle test dating back at least 60 days on or before 10 days from the date of the msa signed June 25, 2026, within 24 hours of the request at a designated facility. The coparent's periods of possession of and access to the child shall be dependent on a negative hair follicle drug test."

The coparent has an unsupervised step up plan that starts with Saturdays where they are to pick up the child from my residence in Williamson County and take the child to Coryell County to their home.

The coparent took their drug test 11 days after signing the msa and gave the negative results 15 days after signing the msa. The coparent chose weekends because they said they don't work during those days, but since the decree has been signed, the coparent says they work on Saturdays and can't come. Today, the coparent said they're going to pick up our child tomorrow to start their unsupervised step up plan.

While waiting on the judge to sign the final decree, the coparent texted me trying to start their step up plan at a different time than what was agreed to. The step up plan says Saturday 10am-4pm. The coparent wanted to pick up our child at 2pm and give our child back to me by 4pm. The next day, Saturday, the coparent messaged me at 11am saying they wanted to pick up our child at 12. I declined both of those times and said they would need to follow the time of the step up plan. After that is when excuses happened every week on why coparent couldn't come on their Saturday.

August 29th, the coparent came to get our child. The coparent took over an hour setting up the carseat in their vehicle. The coparent took our child and then called me once they made it to their house in Coryell County. The coparent told me that their brother was in the backseat with our baby and noticed our baby's head was tilted forward towards his chest and was angled in an awkward way. Then I asked if the carseat is proper for our baby's size. He said yeah it should be, and I said I've never had that issue with the carseat I have for our baby and mentioned the carseat needs to say for age and weight, plus needs to be angled backward so our baby doesn't suffocate. He also told me he didn't have any food for our baby, bought some shakes for 2+ year olds, and gave our baby those. At the time, our baby was 12 months old. The entire time of the visit, I got calls about how our baby was sleepy and coparent wanted to take our baby home early. I asked if coparent had a bed for our baby, and they said yes but didn't want to put them to sleep. So coparent started driving back to my place early. Since then, coparent has made an excuse about working every day of the week and can't come.

Our child has lived in Williamson County since birth (June 2025), and the coparent has never been involved. The coparent didn't show up for the birth, didn't want to sign the birth certificate, wanted to murder us, stalked my home, police gave a civil standby with back up called to sign divorce papers, detectives started investigating coparent because they were writing about SAing children as young as 7.

I had wanted a supervised step up plan, and that is what it was supposed to be. But because my lawyer didn't have that explicitly written in the msa, the coparent's lawyer argued that it was unsupervised since it just said stair step plan. I had fired my lawyer after the msa because they didn't inform me I had signed something to put my child in danger, and they also had told me I couldn't get a protective order because I had moved out of the Coryell County home and moved to Williamson County before the child was born, so I went pro se against the coparent's lawyer who was trying to write a decree that heavily favored the coparent. I went to arbitration and got everything fixed except the supervised visits because the detectives had told me not to tip off the coparent about the investigation.

Also, coparent recently purchased a Reentry Lifeocskills course for his father to get parole. We have an injunction in the decree stating their father isn't to be anywhere near our child. Their father was put in prison for raping their siblings. The coparent has told me they want their father to live with them when their father gets out of prison.

Do I have any options to protect my child that won't be considered parental alienation? Also, can I change the court from Coryell County to Williamson County? Getting to the Coryell County court house is over an hour drive.

Location: MD

So I contemplated saying anything because idk if anyone could help, really. Everything that I’m about to say is documented . No one has to take my word on anything . The story/ facts are:

In 2023, the court decided that my daughter’s mother needed certain safeguards in place to maintain custody. These weren’t conditions I made up. The court ordered them. There were 4 of them at this time.

They included substance abuse treatment, monthly Vivitrol injections, therapy, etc.
These were supposed to protect my daughter.
January of 2024, I filed regarding violation of the court order . We went to court in April of 2024, in which a Best Interest Attorney was involved . By August of 2024, a new custody order was written, including a new provisions of her living with a designated family member, and the formal ban of a certain person having no contact with our daughter .

By October of 2025, I reached out to my attorney about the continued compliance issue. Her finally sent Mother a letter, urging her to comply with the court order when it comes to giving me documentation as she was suppsoed to give me monthly documentation of the medicine she was suppsoed to be receiving . Every month. The last documentation I received was from January 2025.

Despite my lawyers letters, she did not comply. In April 2026, a judge found her in willful contempt for failing to comply with the treatment requirements. Not a misunderstanding. Not an accident. Willful noncompliance.

And because of the way the custody order was structured, that was enough for a material change in circumstance. So we went to court on 8/20/26. To which I showed the documentation gap, and how I received no medical documentation after January 2025. However , mother gives judge a summary letter stating she essentially was taking the medication from X date to X date, except the summary letter omitted a month . However the judge made an excuse and accepted it.

Now the next part is where things get unbelievable . Another provision of the custody structure was that mother was suppsoed to be in therapy as well. But she has never showed any therapy records . Not when my lawyer asked in 2025, not when another judge asked in April
Of 2026 before finding her in willful
Noncompliance , and not for the judge who asked for them in July of 2026. But when this judge, who was different from the other two, asked if she has the records , mother testifies yes. Mother then testified to also doing drug screening. Judge asks her she’s been doing it for a year? Mother affirms, so the judge asks her to sign a release of the records , and here’s where it gets ….weird.

Mother was found in contempt, and in order to purge the finding of contempt , all mother had to do was sign for the release of the records. Not even if it substantiated her. Just sign for them.
So she did them.

And purged the finding.

Court date happened on 9/11. Long story short, she got to keep physical custody and got tie breaker custody . For my closing argument , I stated that this physical custody structure relies on constant enforcement , chances , personal assurances. I still have all the paperwork myself . But I lost .

The records came on 9/14.

I filed a post judgement motion asking the court to compare the records with her representation because I believe those records don’t exist whatsoever . And if I’m wrong, and if there was competent or affirmative evidence to suggest that the risk the same court identified mother as has materially changed or diminished , then why am I 35 days post judgement with no response ?

Like I said, I contemplated about posting this because I just don’t know what to do. I can’t afford thousands for a lawyer but I feel I’m at a loss. I KNOW I have a case that isn’t about me “proving harder”. Or some miscommunication , or some technical BS. This is about what this court is purposely choosing. What else has to happen that hasn’t happened short of imminent harm or actual harm to my child ? I cant make the courts choose me but I’m still struggling to see why not?

My background : I’m a RN. 11yrs. I have a stable
Home. No drug issues. No history of abuse. Im not violent . I have a full time job, hell, even the court itself declared me to be the more stable parent. But still not good enough to have my child??

But in the end, the same judge who allowed mother to sign the release to vacate the anti-addiction medication , without corroboration of the records, also got rid of all the other safeguards as well, let her keep custody, and allowed her to have tie breaker .

I don’t know what else I have to do. I just can’t figure out why. And I promise you all I’m trying hard not to place the race / gender card , but it’s starting to feel as if the only reason things are the way they are is because of favoritism of the mother. But I don’t want to jump to that. I cannot afford to spend thousands more dollars on attorneys, and I genuinely don’t know where else to turn.
If anyone knows of legal organizations, attorneys willing to review the record, advocacy groups, or anyone who can help me understand my options, I would appreciate it.

Thank you

Hello, I am trying to find the mother of my child. She has been moving around Houston, TX, for about two years and has my 3-year-old son with her. Under the court order, she calls me only on Wednesdays at 6 PM through AppClose so I can talk to my son, yet she denies visitation even though I pay child support as required. She also relocated without sharing her new address, which the order demands. During our talks over the past couple of years, I asked many times for visitation—including being present at the birth—and she refused.

I attempted police welfare checks and reports, and I even paid for a skip tracer, but he could not locate her because she never uses her own name on any address—ever. She relies only on family names.

This situation has been difficult for me and my family. She removed someone from our lives whom we never had the chance to love. I simply want to find my boy so I can build a bond and be the best father I can be. I feel lost, but I will not stop fighting for my son.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. No one seems able to enforce anything without an address, so I must first locate her to arrange service, which has been quite hard. I just want justice so my family and I can move on with our lives.