Replies to 'Co-Parenting'

Quote From: wraithman2005

I have seen men walk out of their children's lives and unfortunately it almost seems normal. I also see the Title "Dead-beat Dad" used on forums throughout the Internet. What I see little of is "Dead-beat Mom". My Ex is just that a dead-beat mom. First, my daughters have lived with me for over two years now. I agreed to allow my ex into my home to visit them mainly because when they would go with her she wouldn't bring them back till 10pm or later on school nights. She kept saying she would bring them back earlier but never did. A year or so back she started a relationship with a man in jail and thank God some how a letter came to my home from him to her. I found out she sent pictures of my daughter to him in jail. Lets say I was not very nice at that point. Leading up to me finding out about the jail house love she was not calling the kids as often, she would say she couldn't get them on the weekends and when everything came to light she was sitting at home waiting for him to call from jail and didn't want the kids. Now in the last 14 days she has displayed the same behavior. She said she meet someone and she stopped visiting the kids everyday until she stopped coming all together and then didn't call for 6 days to even ask how they were. All of these changes have taken place over the last 14 days. There is so much more to this than I can fit but I'll try to sum this up as best I can. She has gotten the kids on the weekends and we agreed that she would not leave them with someone while she went out partying. I said if she needs to go out then they can stay home with me. I come to find out that the weekends she has them she has left them with someone and went out. She has them for a whole 48 hrs and she needs a break so she can go out. I have them 24/7 and I don't need a break so I can go out. I look at it like this. My children are growing so fast I want to enjoy playing with them and tickling them while I can. They are little only once and I want them to enjoy there childhood and remember it as happy and fun, full of hugs and kisses. What hurts me the most is that my daughter told me that mommy doesn't play with us, she sleeps all day, she's on the couch all day sleeping, I ask her to get me and sissy breakfast and she dint' get up for a long long time and my tummy hurts. I  confronted my ex and she got nasty with my daughter now I don't want to let them go with her, I don't trust her with them. She has lied to me since the day I meet her but now her lies are affecting my children. My ex has bi-polar disorder and her behavior lately is just weird and when I asked if she was on her meds. she said not for six months. She had no running water in her home for ten months so I would bath the kids at my home while she had them on the weekends. All of a sudden she said she meet some guy and 3-5 days later she got the water fixed. She got her water fixed for some guy she just meet but not her children. What I can't figure out is why does she want them when she leaves them with others and she goes out or sleeps all day doesn't do anything with them and lets them go hungry. I say they should stay with me if she wants to go out and/ or sleep all day and not feed them. I've recently contacted an attorney and am filing for full custody. I am asking for her to be evaluated to make sure she is competent enough to care for them because of her behavior and finding out she is not taking her meds. And requesting she take parenting classes. I am so afraid for my daughters health and well-being. I fear they will be put in a dangerous situation while with there mother and it is my responsibility to protect my daughters. I am so nervous about going to court and feel she is such a liar that she may be allowed to take them alone and they will be harmed. Any advice legal or other wise would be greatly appreciated.