Please chime in on Daycare costs
Forums:
My DH pays $40 a week to BMs uncle to 'watch' the kids (ss16, ss12, ss8). A couple more 'facts'... ( including the court order from years ago says hes to pay 40% daycare). The "uncle" lives with BM, so he's 'watching them'...when she's not there. She is home (gets out of work at 3:30, so should be home) when the youngest gets off the bus. I think, day care stops now. DH says he 'feels bad' for the uncle cause BM probably relies on him too much and he cooks for the kids alot. I say, thas what all the child support is for. What I'm interested in knowing, is ...if I push this, is there an age by which the courts say, you don't have to pay daycare anymore?
12 Years old, normally. Check
12 Years old, normally. Check with the state guidelines.
Since the kids are at BM's
Since the kids are at BM's every day after school and the 16yo is old enough to watch the younger ones I would not pay anything. If she had them in an actual licensed day care with verifiable proof (a contract or receipts)then I would pay 40% if they were young enough to require day care. Only one is young enough IMHO.
In our experience Day Care requirements set by courts usually end when the kid reaches 12 or 13. That is what our CO indicates. My SS's BioDad was ordered to pay 50% of daycare costs until the child reached 13. He never filed for an amendment so he paid the daycare amount of the CS order until the Skid turned 18 and CS stopped.
If your DH is paying $40/wk for three kids, two who are at or above the age cut off, and your DH feels as he should pay his XUIL then I would pay only 40% of 1/3 so ~$5.20/wk. BM should be on the hook for the rest.
Follow the order to the letter. Being nice in these situations gains you nothing.
IMHO of course.
Best regards,
Forty bucks a week is a deal
Forty bucks a week is a deal compared to daycare costs.
I agree totally that $40 is a
I agree totally that $40 is a deal. For daycare. But if BM is home, I can't rationalize it. Also, add'l details annoy the crap out of me. Yes, she def gets out and is home 3:30. She does sometimes go to the casino during the week, but not our responsibility to pay for uncle to watch them then. Also, uncle is elderly and disabled (uses a cane to walk. IMO, not an ideal caregiver if something really bad happened. For certain other reasons we are unable to claim the $ we give him on our taxes. I just wanted to get other opinions. I personally think we should only pay it in the summer. And the truth is (from the uncle)...he doesn't actually get any money from her. I guess in the big picture, this is just more b.s. to deal with til they're all grown up! oh well for us
welcome to step parenthood
oh AND --- she works at a daycare. so, she doesn't ever take work home w/ her.