Family and Relationships

I can't get on with my partner's spoiled daughter
I have been with my partner for 6 years now. I love him very much and want to spend the rest of my life with him. The real problem I have though is his spoiled 14 year old daughter and the fact that we just don't get along.
30-Jan-12 16:05

Night out with friends spoiled by unruly kids
This week I met up with my friends from schooldays for a Christmas get together. We went to Al Forno's in New Malden. Not long after we were seated at our table several couples came in with their children.
27-Dec-11 10:01

CSA mistake leads to family break up
I can't believe how many similar stories about the way parents are being treated by the CSA there are on here, and although reading them makes me feel like at least it isn't only us, it also makes me realise that this is never going to end.
12-Dec-11 20:39

Foster children and family friction
Wow... where do I start? My partner and I were put in a position about 6 months ago. My mother-in-law was charged with serious child neglect against my other half’s brothers and sisters...
3-Nov-11 20:04

The CSA are forcing fathers to move abroad
I am a non-resident parent who has disappeared abroad. I have battled with the Child Support Agency for 6 years and my gripe is that a very corrupt and unfair system has separated many children from loving fathers.
17-Aug-11 16:25

Ex doesn't work to avoid paying maintenance money
I'd like to apologise to begin with, I'm afraid it's yet another story of a divided family with the ex not paying any maintenance and not really giving a damn about his kids. Still, it's nothing out of the ordinary these days it would seem.
2-Aug-11 18:01

Parents should control their unruly children
It is not only the UK that is full of unruly kids. I've seen exactly the same thing abroad too. Shopping centres and restaurants are not playgrounds in any country and parents should make an effort to control their kids.
8-Jun-11 15:31

Co-parenting when ex's new wife causing problems
I've attempted to speak with her to basically request that all ill feelings toward me please be set aside when it concerns my child. The fact that someone can be so insecure, devious, manipulative, and down right crazy sickens me.
6-Jun-11 13:08

My children want to live with their stepmother
I really want to fight for my children, but I don’t know who to believe or what I should do. Their father has said that they want to stay with their stepmother rather than come and live with me.
16-May-11 17:07

Children shouldn't be allowed in pubs after 6pm
I don't mind if pubs have things for children to do and are family friendly, but there should be a certain time that they are allowed in the pub, preferably, 6pm onwards no children at all, or at least no under 10 year-olds!
4-May-11 23:02

Single parent custody best when there's conflict
I understand that my opinion will cause a great deal of revulsion in many a reader. But I would like to stress that this is not my fault, and sometimes we have to make difficult choices for the benefit of the child.
1-Mar-11 18:49

People asking 'When are you having another baby?'
Eighteen months ago I had a baby. She was all of 6 hours old when the dreaded question came... 'So when are you having another baby?' WHY do people ask this, especially when the mother is exhausted?
8-Feb-11 18:37

Late motherhood, but at what cost?
My gripe is simple really, many women leave it so late to make a decision and then convince themselves that their children have benefited from it. But what is the cost of leaving motherhood too late, and is the price ever really worth it?
24-Jan-11 17:17

How do you deal with a difficult stepdaughter?
How do you cope with living in a household with a 16 year-old stepdaughter who disrespects you, undermines your authority, and constantly degrades and disrespects her father in your presence?
12-Jan-11 19:05

Children are out of control in the UK
Why do people believe that it is acceptable to inflict their noisy, ill-mannered, bratish children on the rest of us? It seems that all public occasions must be spoilt by a screaming temper tantrum. Heaven forbid if anyone complains!
10-Jan-11 18:35

Husband changed after 3 months of marriage
We might well sound like the golden couple, I'm 21 and my husband is 37. He's young, muscular, smart, and good looking - pretty much all a girl could ever want. That's my husband of 3 months!
22-Nov-10 17:00

Friendship advice, was I wrong to take him out?
I have a male friend who doesn't go out because his girlfriend can't. The thing is she's away visiting family and she's accusing me of all sorts because I took him out to a karaoke last night. Was I in the wrong or is she just paranoid?
3-Aug-10 10:10

CSA deduction from earnings leaves me broke
I had a bad month recently and missed a payment, so now the CSA have taken £350 off me today and will take another £350 off me in August leaving me £14 to live on for the month after paying my rent.
29-Jul-10 15:50

Child support overpayments advice
Does anyone know if my previous overpayments can be counted? My ex wife wants a share of my recent bonus, even though according to the CSA I have been paying more than I should have been.
21-Jul-10 13:25

Parents should share financial responsibility equally
If I have my baby daughter half of the time (yes, 50 percent of the time), so can somebody please tell me why I have to pay maintenance to my ex? I still have to buy all the same baby stuff she does.
18-May-10 19:23

Paternity test letter from the CSA
Having fought for a long time too see my daughter but been denied access by my ex, I have recently received a letter requesting a paternity test and also now have an attachment of earnings.
26-Feb-10 19:16

Dealing with the ex wife is so frustrating
I have been Divorced for a couple of years now after my ex wife decided she wanted to be alone, start a new life and be totally independent (actually she was cheating with my best friend!!).
29-Oct-09 14:53

Bank account emptied by ex-husband
My ex-husband was hiding my post from me for almost 12 months and only passing on the correspondence I would normally be expecting, ie bills, wage slips and my own personal bank account statements.
10-Oct-09 20:16

Ex won't pay any maintenance
I split up with my ex-partner, the father to my two sons around 3 years ago because he was a lazy slob and wouldn't pull his weight. He only sees the kids when he feels like it and refuses to pay any maintenance.maintenance.
23-Sep-09 12:44

Fathers, contact with children and the CSA
I received a call from CSA today saying my partner had asked them to contact me for child support payments. Now as a father I have no problem paying for my children but the situation I find myself in is the reason for this gripe.
7-Sep-09 18:15

My ex partner contacted the CSA
After two years having a private arrangement with my ex as far as maintenance for my kids is concerned, she decided to tell the CSA I hadn't paid anything and they're now chasing me for nearly £4,000!
26-Aug-09 09:02

Single life and career versus parents with kids
I'm fed up of hearing about parents who are finding 'life' hard as they have children. Let's support and stick up for all the single people out there for a change. After all, life isn't always easy for us either!
25-Aug-09 15:33

Ex won't have the kids overnight
I get sick of listening to men moaning about not being able to see their kids - we're the other way round and it is hard work. I have no one to help with childcare and have not been out in almost 12 months.
4-Aug-09 15:20

CSA maintenance payments advice?
Does anyone know if the CSA will pursue me for the payments over the last 12 years that have not passed through them? I would like to return to the UK but being left in the situation I was previously in will not make this a viable option.
27-Jul-09 15:45

Friend taking advantage of me?
Have you ever been in a situation where some you know, perhaps someone you believe to be a good friend has taken advantage of you and been quite nasty along with it? What do you do at times like this?
16-Jul-09 12:40

Problems and stress living with the mother in-law
I'm sure it's commonplace for men not to understand the mother in-law.  In fact British comedy was built on mother in-law jokes, and boy I could dine out on the ones I have right now.
9-Jul-09 20:49

What kind of father does this to his daughter?
How can a man just walk away from his daughter and never want to see her ever again? He has now given the grandparents an ultimatum, if they come to visit visit us then they will never get to see their newest grandchild.
7-Jul-09 18:57

Friends with unruly kids
Is it just me, or are there any others out there sick and tired of having their friend's unruly children inflicted on them? How about disciplining your children and teaching them some basic manners?
30-Jun-09 16:03

Ex's girlfriend is jealous and insecure
I am fed up with my ex's girlfriend's jealousy of our little girl, and of the past that he and I shared. Why do women seek relationships with men who already have children if they are so insecure?
17-Jun-09 01:00

Ex lives the life whilst maintenance is cut
After we were divorced my ex and I used to have a private arrangement for maintenance. This has all changed since his company went into liquidation, but the lifestyle he has and the numbers just don't add up at all.
9-Apr-09 18:12

Denied access to my children by ex-wife
I'm a so-called absent father even though I didn't choose to be. Despite court orders giving me access to my girls 12 years ago when they were 7 and 4, my ex-wife would use every trick at her disposal to stop me seeing them.
6-Apr-09 15:41

Resident parents and their 'poor me' attitude
It is about time the CSA was seriously overhualed and circumstances were actually taken into account when calculating rates of maintenance. I get a little sick of resident parents and their 'POOR ME' attitude.
2-Mar-09 21:02

Non-resident parents should pay more
I would like to state, realistically, how much it costs on average to bring up a child because I think a lot of non-resident parents just haven't got a clue. They moan and whine about having to pay a few hundred a month.
11-Feb-09 22:33

Cheating step-dad wrecked family with afair
People assume that marital separation, divorce, affairs etc. only affects young families with children. In fact, it can happen to families with grown up children and the effects can be even more devastating.
10-Feb-09 15:48

Useless CSA can't help with child support
Here's yet another CSA gripe... I am sure that people here will be getting sick of hearing about them. Apparently there's nothing the CSA can do for me in terms of child support as my ex does not work.
13-Jan-09 15:23

Why I loathe chat rooms and weak men
My gripe is that men are weak and I despise the chat rooms they seem to find irresistible. They would rather chase some tart in a chat room online than face up to their responsibilities. I trusted him and he's destroyed our marriage.
18-Dec-08 14:20

Lack of sleep and a thoughtless husband
My husband got into a major stop and behaved like a spoiled child because I wasn't feeling well enough to visit a family friend after a rough night with very little sleep. His complete lack of consideration just makes me so angry.
20-Oct-08 21:27

Life with kids or a career?
I had my first child at 16, another at 19, and the third when I was 20. I feel trapped and want to better my life and to have a career but my boyfriend does everything he can to thwart my efforts to make something of myself.
15-Sep-08 18:06

CSA, how much more can we take?
Thanks to the CSA I'm now paying £634 a month £14,400 in arrears, my life has been turned upside down and don't know which way to turn. The CSA seem to me to be there to ruin family life and extract money from fathers.
11-Sep-08 20:15

Absent father: 'I think about her everyday'
My daughter's father left when she was a year old. After less than a handful of visits over the next 12 months or so he had no contact with her for a year or more. Next he left the country and, yep you guessed it, no contact for 3 years.
8-Sep-08 11:50

Child support arrears demand unreasonable
I suppose I fell into the age old trap of promising to provide my two children with the 'treats' for want of a better word and did not set up a formal agreement with my ex wife. I now have a £23,000 arrears demand from the CSA.
16-Jun-08 14:57

Paying for mistakes made by the CSA
Yet again the Child Support Agency make a mistake but somebody else has to pay for it. Unfortunately, somebody within the CSA couldn’t read and typed the wrong address into their system and I end up with the bailiffs on the door.
10-Jun-08 13:53

Biological father may stop adoption
I'm almost 15 and my biological father hasn't been in touch since I was about 10 or 11, and even then my mum had to get in touch with him to say that I wanted to have contact with him.
7-Jun-08 15:01

She moved her lover in
My ex and I had been together for approximately five years before it all went wrong and things ended up the way they are now. My life is crumbling before me and any advice would be welcome.
24-Apr-08 20:54

Cheating husband left me broke
After being married for 30 years and standing by my ex husband , we got divorced after I caught him cheating with a girl younger than our daughter. He has treated me appallingly and now lives the good life with his new wife.
18-Apr-08 14:25

Ex-wife knows how to play the CSA
This is another gripe about those lovely people at the CSA. When my ex-wife and I split up, I moved in to rented accommodation and paid my ex-wife £500.00 per month. I continued this for the first year.
17-Jan-08 23:20

No child support from wealthy family
I was with my partner for two and half years and we have recently split up due to family pressures. He comes from a wealthy family and I am tired of feeling that I am constantly battling against his mum.
16-Jan-08 20:17

I want my ex back, what should I do?
I have been in love with a man for seven years now. We may have a chance to get back together again and I want him back, but his mother says I am using our daughter to bribe him to be with me.
1-Nov-07 22:26

I still love unfaithful girlfriend
My girlfriend and I have had steady relationship for two years. We both loved each other the entire time, but in being from a strictly militant family, I was hesitant to show all but the smallest signs of affection.
18-Oct-07 15:17

Still guilty according to the CSA
Some time ago I wrote a story about how the CSA made me guilty until proven innocent.  It is now two years on and I have had just about enough of the situation. All I want is a DNA test.
11-Oct-07 14:31

I don't want to choose his friends
I'm not a crazy psycho girlfriend who hates his friends. I don't want to choose his friends because I don't want him choosing mine and I just want us to have a healthy relationship.
24-Sep-07 23:59

Breaking away from a violent relationship
I am a single mother with three children. I was forced to leave my violent relationship with my ex-husband as it was beginning to affect the children. After many visits to court I finally managed to get him out of my life.
10-Aug-07 12:40

Jealous ex-wives use kids as pawns
I find it unbelievable how women who are mothers of children can think it is OK to use their kids as pawns to try and 'get back' at their ex husband - as well as numerous other pain in the ass tactics to destroy his life.
28-Jul-07 12:58

We don't want to have children
I'm fed up being told to have children by absolutely everyone! Why do people assume that because I am now in my late twenties, that I must now either have a child or that I must be planning for one in the near future?
21-Jul-07 21:30

Women who trick men into parenthood
Women who trick men into parenthood and have multiple children by different men! As these women go on their merry way producing more offspring for the state to support, do they give a thought to the feelings of anyone else?
19-Jul-07 13:50

She doesn't want me back
Up until eight months ago everything was just normal then my wife started to find fault with our relationship. She then began to receive and send lots of text messages late at night, supposedly from 'work'.
25-Jun-07 19:05

Vulnerable young girl needs help
I am working with a young girl of 17 whose mother kicked her out thinking the local council will re-home her. The girl did not want to leave the family home but her mother and stepfather are adamant they do not want her back.
6-Jun-07 17:43

Verbal agreement with ex-partner
When I split with an ex-partner we had a verbal agreement between us so that instead of paying monthly maintenance for our child, she would receive a one off payment. This was all her idea as it happens.
1-Jun-07 18:48

Ex-husband buys daughter's love
I have been divorced from my ex-husband for five years now and the first four years were absolutely horrible. My ex-husband never, every paid support back then and he's only just started paying in the past 6 months.
8-May-07 00:09

Husband couldn't resist temptation
I guess its more fun to chase shiny new things than rekindle love in a solid loving emotionally stable respecting union. I am over him now, but I thought I'd toss this out there anyway because any feedback at all helps.
3-May-07 23:44

Ex-wife uses CSA money to pay for holidays
For the last 8 years I have paid my ex-wife through the CSA for our 2 children. During this time I have struggled every week to pay for every day things such as food, while at the same time my ex-wife has enjoyed a life of luxury.
23-Apr-07 16:33

My dad shouldn't pay maintenance
Why should my dad have to pay maintenance? I am 16 years old and every weekend I go and visit my dad and my step mum. My dad always pays for everything whilst my mum on the other hand, she couldn't care less.
18-Apr-07 14:30

Free drinks for everyone
It really annoys me that some people will not put their hands in their pockets to buy a drink when it is their turn. For me this seems to happen at weddings and birthdays etc.. where my brothers and I will end up paying for everyone.
17-Apr-07 12:28

A biased and unfair system
It took the CSA nearly twelve years to finally persuade my ex-partner to pay any kind of maintenance towards our children, but this gripe isn't about maintenance or payments.
11-Apr-07 12:01

Daughter rejected by ex-husband
What my ex-husband has done to our daughter is truly beyond belief.  Not only has he not bothered with her for the last six years, but he has actually managed to turn his own sons against their sister.
20-Mar-07 18:14

Absent father makes no effort for his children
We split up over 6 years ago, and to this day the father of my children hasn't paid one penny in support. He is now in another relationship and has a son to his current partner who is claiming every benefit she can lay her hands on.
14-Mar-07 14:30

Tricked into fatherhood by devious ex-girlfriend
It riles me that all absent fathers are seen as the bad guy when there are always two sides to a story. My husband was forced into this situation and his only crime was to be young, naive and trusting.
7-Mar-07 18:07

My ex-wife won't play fair
Ok, this is not quite to do with the CSA but they get a mention. My ex-wife and I had our lovely daughter in June 2000. I loved my ex-wife to pieces, but soon after we were married things began to change
12-Feb-07 22:39

Uncontrolled children in public
I'm fed up with frequently being confronted by uncontrolled children in public places. Weekly visits to the supermarket are now just as much about avoiding the sliding child that whizzes past the end of an aisle just as you emerge.
15-Dec-06 15:55

I don't want to get married
Isn’t it strange how people act when you tell them you don’t want to get married? If (like me) you are in your mid-thirties and still not married you are either weird or there must be something wrong with you.
13-Dec-06 23:58

The CSA penalise good fathers
The CSA are at it again then. It seems that the CSA spend all their energy chasing the 'good fathers', whilst the ones who do anything to avoid payments are getting away scot-free.
5-Dec-06 15:00

Problems with CSA payments
I am absolutely fed up with the CSA. I guess you could say that I am one of the lucky ones since I have actually been receiving payments through them, albeit not regular and often there ends up being a mess up of some sort.
8-Nov-06 23:57

Kids have no respect for parents
My partner and I have a loving relationship that is being destroyed by this spoilt brat, who is arrogant and highly opinionated. Children ought to respect their parent's wishes and not sabotage their relationships.
22-Aug-06 19:41

Teenage girls that get pregnant
Apparently my partner had a one night drunken stand with this girl and she actually had the kid, he has now had to do a DNA paternity test which costs £290, and now she is putting her DNA test off.
16-Aug-06 22:40

Our relationship changed
My relationship with my boyfriend has changed dramatically recently. He was once really interested in me, but he doesn't seem to care any more. These days he is constantly up the pub and anything I say seems to bug him.
24-Jul-06 13:19

Men have no right to reproductive choice
Would be parents should have equal rights. Pregnant women have right to an abortion, but men have no equivalent right. I agree the woman has the right to abortion, but should the man not have the same right to decide?
10-Jul-06 12:00

Men and relationships
He tells me he loves me every day, but for me, actions speak far louder than words. Are the gifts he gives me, or the occasional night out a form of compensation for areas where he lacks such attention and commitment?
28-Jun-06 17:43

Auntie Virus spoils mum's birthday
She is one of the most unreliable, incompetent, deceptive and selfish members of the family and can only win by cheating. Auntie 'virus' Anne managed to completely ruin my mother's birthday surprise.
14-May-06 17:55

There is no kid free zone
Is there anywhere I can go that I don't have to suffer the racket of hyperactive kids? Many of the parents have no idea how to behave in public themselves, but I wish they would try to control their children.
11-May-06 15:01

Why are weddings so expensive?
Weddings are expensive, even if you decide to organise it all yourself. Why is it that everyone you deal with in the area of wedding and bridal services is just out to rip you off?
2-May-06 16:50

Why does my wife want a divorce?
I have been married for 8 years, but now all of a sudden my wife has announced that does not want to married to me any longer and wants a divorce.
2-Jan-06 13:34

CSA, fathers rights and paternity issues
Does that sound like you? Im a hard working person from a hard working family. I didn't want kids, but she did and she was less than honest with me! Now the CSA are involved and I'm treated like a walking wallet.
15-Dec-05 16:30

Absent fathers and weekend dads can't be bothered
I thought when a couple splits up and there are children involved that both parents are meant to have responsbility over the children.
5-Oct-05 17:36

My children live with their father
Why is it when a man tells someone that they live apart from their children they get sympathy? But when a mother apart from her children tells someone her children live with their father, they get frowned upon.
11-Aug-05 17:12

Parents with unruly children
I have a real issue with parents with unruly children that misbehave in public. They just allow their child to run amok and do what they like.
19-Jul-05 18:55

Single parent, dad doesn't pay maintenance
I am fed up with parents who will not take responsibility of their own children. I am a single mother to my 4 year old daughter, her Dad left me for another woman when she was 7 months old.
11-Jul-05 14:24

School run parents with their 4x4
I come across the school run mum every day driving to work. My problem with these people isn't that they drop their kids off, its more to do with their general attitude, and the lack of consideration they show others when they're on the school run.
24-Jun-05 16:35