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Alright lads, wonder if any of you could offer me any advice here!
I had a daughter with my girlfriend in February. We split up in April as we'd been struggling as a couple for a while so it was a mutual split.
Since we have been separated and me living elsewhere I have paid her £75 a week (which was slightly more than the child support calculator suggested).
However she only lets me see her for 1 hour a week (absolute maximum) at the weekend. Sometimes not even at all if she is busy at the weekend and if I kick off she just tells me I have no rights and am lucky to see her at all!
I feel that is slightly unfair and that my daughter will never get to know her own dad at this rate! I ask her for more time to spend with her and she says I am not entitled to it and I must obey to all her rules etc. Feel like I am constantly treading on egg shells!
Do blokes just have to put up and shut up or am I legally entitled to more time with my daughter?
Chris
Hi Dadio,
You do have rights and more importantly your daughter has a right to see you.
I would suggest to your ex that you attend mediation to try to resolve the conflict, A mediator should be able to explian that your ex isn't right in her assumption that she is in control of the situation.
If mediation doesn't work then you have the option of obtaining a contact order through the family courts, you can do this with just the cost of the court fees which are around £200, and represent yourself, there is a guide to applying for and representing yourself in the legal section on the forum so have a read through to fimiliarise yourself with the proccess.
Be realistic with your contact at the early stages as your daughter is still young, I would imagine a few shorter visits of 1-2 hrs a week would be better than a whole day, just due to her age and being away from her mum, but make any arrangement futer proof. So build in extended contact as she gets older, make sure that you think about birthdays and christmas too as well as school holidays (that may seem a long way off but it will come around quicker than you think)
Good luck and keep us posted.
Darren
I think Darren has given some good advice - remember that it may be best to increase the visits as you go and your ex feels more confident and also if you go in demanding things she will object and make it harder.
It is difficult but you may need to play the game a bit
I hope it works out for you
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