People often talk about how hard co-parenting is. What they don't talk about is how hard it is to co-parent with someone who isn't actually parenting at all. There is a unique exhaustion that comes from being the parent who carries everything while the other parent simply exists on the sidelines. Not because they can't help. Because they choose not to. It's not even about the money anymore. Sure, the sports fees add up. The equipment. The travel. The fuel. The hotel rooms. The registration fees. The team fundraising. The endless expenses that come with raising kids who are involved, active, and chasing their dreams. But money isn't what hurts the most. What hurts is watching your child sit by the window waiting for a parent who doesn't show up. What hurts is hearing the disappointment in their voice when plans get cancelled at the last minute. What hurts is watching them check their phone, hoping for a text, hoping for a call, hoping for some sign that ...
People hear the term “co-parenting” and picture teamwork. Shared responsibility. Communication. Equal effort. Two parents continuing to put their children first, even after the relationship ends. But sometimes… it isn’t co-parenting at all. Sometimes it’s one parent carrying the entire mental load, financial load, emotional load, scheduling load, and responsibility for the children — while the other parent drifts in and out around the edges when it’s convenient. We split in 2022. It’s now 2026, and in four years, I have received no financial help toward raising our children. No help with sports. No help with school fees. No help with fuel, travel, hotels, fundraising, practices, equipment, or the endless hidden costs that come with raising active kids. At the beginning, I tried to keep things fair and simple. I didn’t ask for everything. I simply asked if he could cover half of sports and school fees. He agreed. But agreement means nothing without action. Every time a new fee come...