Opinions on child support
I’m wondering people’s opinions on child support. I have two children ages 13 and 11. I stayed home with the kids most of their younger years and have only started working full time in the last 3 years when me and their father separated, so I make significantly less than my ex, but I am now working on my building my career. We have 50/50 custody but I am still their primary caregiver i.e. I book every doctors appointment, dentist appointment, hair cuts, buy school lunches, pay for school trips, give the kids allowance, everything you can think of. He gives me about $1000 a month in child support. Is it unfair for me to ask him to help me cover larger purchases? My daughter will need a new laptop for high school which will be around $500, I paid for her school uniform which was $300, my son needed special glasses that cost $500. Are these things that I should be covering with child support? Or should he help me pay? My salary isn’t great yet and his $1000 helps me pay for rent and food and there isn’t a lot left over for all these extras. But when I ask him to help me with the big expenses, he either ignores me or says that’s what he gives me child support for. So I’m wondering, should I stop asking and just assume what he gives me should cover everything or should he be helping more?