Will keep this short. I have an eight year old DS. I work full time and get tax credits etc but I am really struggling to keep afloat financially.
I have no family nearby (my parents live abroad) and no one to help out with childcare outside of my childminder so I can only work set hours during the day. I have looked for better paid jobs but even if I managed to find one my tax credits would either go down or disappear entirely, which would essentially leave me in the same position that I am in now.
I do get maintenance but this was fixed seven years ago when my ex and I split up and hasn't changed since. My ex was violent, which is why I left him, and I don't want to bring up the subject of extra money with him, even though he earns a lot of money.
My ex does have a very good relationship with our son though and I am thinking of asking my ex if our son can live with him so he (our son) can have a better quality of life. I can't see any other way out of this mess as I can't improve my earnings unless I can work unsocial hours, which means no childcare. And no, my ex wouldn't offer to have him while I work.
I really don't want to let my son live with his dad as I adore him but I can't see any other way at the moment.
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9 replies
HugeLaurie · 13/05/2013 15:45
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