SPARC Forums

Male
2 children 5 and 8 years old.
Washington state

My soon to be exwife left the home took my kids, and acts like she is the gatekeeper to them.  There was no abuse, no affair.  As it stands I have close to joint custody of the children ( i won't settle for less).  At one point we were in agreement to have the children every other week.  However my counsellor said that wouldn't be good for the children and that they would never feel "established" in either home.  My stand has been consistantly what is best for the children.  I'm not a dead beat dad nor have I ever been.  I have just as much of a right to custody of the children as my ex.  However here is what is coming down the pipe at me.  I met w/ a lawyer and we went over the child support worksheet.   As it stands I will have to pay 1/2 my income in child support and daycare expenses.   This is absolutely not possible, it just isn't.  I don't have a bunch of credit card debt, car payments or anything.  I pay rent, food, utilities, gas etc.   Thats IT!.  There just isn't anything to cut to make this possible.   If I the end I have to pay that much, I basically would have to work so much that I wouldn't see my children.  It's not drama, just a fact.

What I need is simply this.  A good lawyer that will work w/ me based on my income.  I will make payments or whatever.   My back is up against a wall, and I just need REAL answers, not speculations.

Thanks.

I know a good attorney in WA state, but it depends on what county you live in.

PM me if you would with the county your case is in, if it is in the county my dh's case is in, I can give you a #.

Also in WA State IF you work overtime OR have a 2nd job your cs can increase even more.  You can go online to the superior court website of WA State, the cs forms are their and you can calculate the figures to make sure they are doing it correctly.  They base in on your income and your ex's income and other factors.

Their are a few of us here that have cases in WA State, so ask the questions and we will help the best we can.


**These are my opinions, they are not legal advice**