Would you drive 8 hours?
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Would you drive 8 hours?
| Fri, 11-25-2005 - 10:54pm |
Here’s the deal, my ex lives 9 hours from me, as far as visitation goes he gets them for summer, Spring break, and holidays and he is welcome here any time of the year for visits (one round trip ticket is about $250 and he has many places to stay for free while he is here ) The divorce agreement says <<<<<"The defendant (him) shall enjoy ample and reasonable visitation at all times and as often as can be agreed upon by the parties. The parties agree to work together and make every attempt to accommodate one another’s schedule">>>>>. Okay, I just received an email from him telling me he has booked airline tickets for them to visit him for the holidays and the return flight is returning into a city 4 hours away from me on Jan 30th, even though he knows the kids are out of schoool until Jan 9th. He said the returning flight in to the city 45 minutes away from me were too expensive. Am I being unaccommodating and not working together by saying an airport 4 hours away is a little unreasonable? Divorce agreement also says he covers all travel expenses. He makes 75K; I make 20K (full time student- part time employee living on savings and student loans for one more year… Class of 2006!!!, so I do not have any extra money to chip in for them to come the four hours by air). My thoughts, #1) the kids are out of school until Jan 9th, so I’m unsure why he is sending them back 10 days early. With the extra 10 days he could and should have with them, he could fit in a road trip himself #2) for me to drive 4 hours there, 4 hours back, why isn’t he just driving the 9 hours himself? (See reason #1) 3) I think asking me to drive 8 hours is a little over the top. Would you make the drive? Or would you ask for a closer airport to pick them up at?

What's your time worth if you have to take a day off work to pick them up (even if you don't.... that's still a good way to calculate what your time is worth.... PLUS the standard IRS mileage rate for your driving there and back, which I think is...... 40.5 cents per mile (I'm not sure if that's enough.... it went up for the last quarter of 2005).... I'd certainly tell him what he's expected to pay YOU if you have to drive there to pick them up.
Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~
FYI-As of 9/1/05 IRS mileage rate went up to 48.5 cents per mile...I haven't heard what is happening on Jan 1, 2006 though...
SanDee
Thank you.... I knew that it really jumped up, but I couldn't remember how much (without digging at home... I have it posted at work).
I haven't heard either what happens in January.
Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~