Court was the 18th

We were the first people called – Before the hearing the DA came over and asked us if we went to mediation. I told her that we didn’t because he waited to long to go to orientation and our mediation is scheduled for next week. Apparently, we were also having an “employment review” hearing for child support. They asked him what his employment efforts were and he didn’t know he had to keep records of the efforts so the judge notified him what he must do. He asked him why he’s been out of custody 4 months and no job. He said “I am trying to go back to school so I can join a union”. I didn’t know this but he doesn’t have his GED – I swear, he told me years and years ago he had his GED. At anyrate, the judge said “why can’t you just do construction?” I had to hold back from laughing because it just sounded like he was saying “any idiot can swing a hammer!!”

Anyways, he asked the judge for overnight visitation, his voice cracked and he said “I really want to have her overnight. She asks to stay and its hard to tell her no because I want her to stay too!”

Then the judge looked at me and asked me how I felt about that and I just said “I believe this is why we were ordered to mediation – to attempt to come to these agreements!”

The judge asked me when mediation was and I said “June 25th” and then he looked back at him and shrugged and said “Guess you have to go to mediation then if you want overnights!”

Then we held the matter over to October. The ex says “why do I have to wait four more months – that doesn’t seem fair”

The judge said “well, since you don’t have a lawyer, let me explain to you how this works. If you can’t come to agreements then you are ordered to mediation. If you agree in mediation next week, you can start having visitation overnight. If you can’t agree there, you go to ( I think he said ) investigative process and if thru that you still don’t have an agreement, then we move to have a trial and at the trial if you still don’t agree, then I make the decision. That process takes 6-8 months. Either way, you still have to go to mediation”

That was it – we walked out and I went to sit down. He comes over and says “Why are you making this so difficult”

I said “Don’t blame me, you chose to wait till 3 weeks before court to do your orientation and I’m not discussing this with you here”

He reply’s “Well, that’s still no reason for you to be difficult – I just want to see her and your making it so I can’t”

I just said again “Don’t blame me because your lazy ass can’t get up out of bed and do the right things.”

I then got up and went to the hallway where he gets up to see where I was going. I browsed brochures then saw him looking at me so I left to make a call. I realized no orders were signed and that there really was no paperwork for me to get so I just left – I probably could have stayed to get the next court date info, but that’s available online so I just came back to work.

He’s an ass. I swear to god!

So in mediation- I’m asking him to prove a few things – that he has a valid license because child support told me it was taken away last December. So I want proof he has one. I also want him to provide the court a lease agreement showing he lives with his girlfriend – he wont’ be able to do this….see she’s low income and with him living there, she wouldn’t qualify and if he’s not living there legally, she’s not spending the night. No way in hell. His past history is he sees our daughter when it suits him and that’s always when he’s in a relationship. He’s been on and off again with this woman for 5 to 6 years. If they weren’t together, he wouldn’t be asking to see her unless he was going on a date – yes, my daughter has been a Date Trophy – Look at what a great dad I am….date doesn’t work out, she goes months w/out visitation from her dad.

Sad but true!

Anyways, Mediation is Monday. Can’t wait to see his jaw hit the table when I ask for all this documentation ROFL