So we wanted to report to the court about all of the BS this weekend. Mic also needed to check on the paperwork for the court date and SS's psych evaluation (which we have patiently waited for since January). So he calls his caseworker. Not that she has ever, ever answered the phone at her desk, but this time, instead of being prompted to leave a message, he was informed that his caseworker (who has only been back from suspension long enough to threaten a warrant over child support-which, by the way, he and his employer made several attempts, by phone and finally in writing to pay) was "away from her desk indefinitly". The message also gave the name of another caseworker and her phone number. So he called the number, and he got an operator. He tried to explain to the operator what was going on and what he was trying to do. They transferred him to family court. They told him, essentially, that they don't know where his paperwork on the court date is, and that they would call him back when they found it (I won't be holding my breath on that one). So then he tried to talk to them about what happened this weekend. They said he needed to talk to a caseworker about that. He explained that he apparently no longer had a case worker. They said one would call him back. Call back? Yeah right. We can barely get someone to call us back when we have their name and contact number to call and remind them repeatedly to call us back. No name and contact number? There's no accountability, so now we will have to annoy these poor operators until their tired enough of hearing from us to get someone to call back. I don't know who's worse...BM and her BS, or the court that lets her continually do it. I've been told by two people now (a paralegal and a father/child advocate) that this wouldn't be happening if we had a lawyer. Kind of hard to get a lawyer to listen when you are dirt poor. I guess $95 a week for one child isn't enough, we should have to put out for a lawyer, too. It wouldn't be so bad, but Mic has other expenses too (most of which is a surcharge that must be paid in order to keep his driver's license valid. This stems from a speeding ticket that he trusted BM to pay shortly before she left him, which she obviously pocketed). Needless to say, at the end of the week, he's got less than $100 to his name, and after you factor in lunch to eat while he's working (about $20-$25 for the week), gas to get back and forth to work (like $40 for my car, even more for his), and his fee to bowl on the church's bowling team (under $15, the one thing he does for fun), there's some nickels and dimes left to pay for a lawyer. We're going to go without this time, as I am confident that once the info gets in front of the judge that he will get a favorable outcome. This is what happened last time, anyway. But the next time he files paperwork, I guess we have to get one, so as to not waiting forever and a day just waiting for them to send us the date. And what's worse is that the lawyer gets paid, whether things go well in court or not. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The only advice anyone can seem to give me is to realize that the court system is not fair. Mental note made accordingly-I'll just add it to all of the others.