My ex, Mark, called asking to pause child support for six months so his wife could get a new car. I pretended to agree, then handed him an envelope the next week: a “request” to reopen our asset division—focused on the house he kept. His face went white. The appraisal was fake, the lawyer nonexistent, but the bluff worked. He agreed to keep paying.
Then came the twist.
A few days later, he showed up looking defeated, holding a box of his childhood model airplanes for our son. He admitted the truth: he was drowning in debt, business failing, and the new car was a desperate attempt to look successful. He wasn’t being greedy—he was panicking.
I couldn’t pause the support, but I offered him part-time work with my online business. To my surprise, he excelled. He fixed my bookkeeping, streamlined my inventory, and rebuilt my pricing system, raising my profits by almost 40%. The job stabilized him, and he paid off his debt and restarted payments—plus extra for Leo’s education fund.
By helping him get back on his feet, I secured our son’s future and turned a constant fight into real co-parenting. Sometimes, the solution isn’t punishment—it’s giving someone a way to stand.
