Financial Guilt & Custody Games: Do I Have to Pay for His Time Too? Artwork

Love Court Off the Record

In the podcast, Love Court Off The Record, we look at specific legal questions regarding all family law matters. From child custody to child support to divorce. We also take a humorous look at divorce. It does make people go crazy!!

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Love Court Off the Record

Financial Guilt & Custody Games: Do I Have to Pay for His Time Too?

June 27, 2025 • Anderson Keuscher Brachmann

The Question:

My ex and I have 50/50 custody of our two kids, but I’m the one paying child support because I make more money. Lately, he’s been refusing to take the kids during his time unless I “cover the extra costs”—like snacks for soccer practice or gas money. I feel like he’s trying to guilt me for earning more. Is there anything I can do legally, or am I just stuck co-parenting with a financial manipulator?

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In this episode of Love Court, divorce attorney Jessica Anderson helps a listener navigate a tricky co-parenting situation: 50/50 custody on paper, but one parent is always picking up the slack—and the tab. From demands for “extra costs” to passive-aggressive guilt trips, Jessica breaks down what the law says about child support, shared parenting, and financial manipulation.