In this installment of our nightmare of dealing with BM, we visit the court for a child support modification!

One of the many motions BM filed against DH in January of this year was a motion to modify child support. She thought his parenting time would be reduced to EOWE, which would move us back to a sole custody calculation, which would almost double DH's CS payment each month. As I have mentioned before, on our court date, BM and DH "struck a deal" (that has yet to be finalized). They planned to still request that CS be recalculated until they realized that DH's CS would be reduced if it was.

So being the butthead I am, while we were still all at the courthouse, I pranced--yes, I pranced--to file a motion to change child support. Her attorney warned us that it "wouldn't be heard" until BM returns from deployment next year. But it was heard this morning. She had a $300+ per hour attorney representing her for that hour and a half, and the judge settled the days of custody (less than DH was really due, but enough to make a difference) and issued a temporary order of $24 less per month. DH is arguing that their almost 12 year old doesn't need daycare, but the judge wouldn't issue a final on that because BM wasn't there. By February, when the case is revisited, the child will be 12. DH thinks that the judge was "with him," so he expects that childcare for SD will be dropped at that point.

The savings is insignificant, but the win for DH is HUGE! He represented himself against a seasoned attorney--and he seems to have done a pretty decent job of it. He reduced CS by $24 a month, which is mud in BM's eye. And he cost her somewhere between $500 and $1000 bucks in attorneys fees. Not bad for 1.5 hours of time! And the improvement to his confidence is immeasurable!

As an amusing aside, however, I can't help but laugh at BM. She gets $791 in CS from DH, but her DH pays something like $1700 to his 2 baby mommas in CS each month. And since he got cocky with one of the BMs (who is a friend) and took her back to court, I know that he's also having to pay private school tuition, as well.

We may never beat her. We may never be rid of her. She will keep trying to torture us, of this, I am certain. But today, DH reigns victorious.