‒Unreported Opinion‒
6
[MOTHER’S ATTORNEY]: Per month?
[MOTHER]: Per month, yes.
* * *
[MOTHER’S ATTORNEY]: Okay. So, the one that you were living in
before January 2017, what was the rent[] there?
[MOTHER]: It was almost 2,200.
(Emphasis added). Later, Mother testified to the family budget since the reduction in child
support:
[MOTHER’S ATTORNEY]: Okay. So can you describe to the Court what,
if any, impact the reduction of child support by $1,400 per month has had on
your ability to subsist with your two children?
[MOTHER]: For us, $1,500 is a lot of money, so paying a rent for a two-bed
home apartment when you are a family of three is already $2,200, in the area
where we live. So it had an impact on our living conditions generally,
because not only the rent, but the utilities, clothing, extracurricular activities.
I mean, many times, I wasn’t able to, to pay the bills. And then I have
to choose which bills I pay this month, and which bills I prioritize the next
month. There are fees that I have to pay for fieldtrips for extracurricular
activities, and many times, I couldn’t pay on time. The payment[s] have been
late. And sometime[s] they had to miss [] one class here and there.
I can’t organize birthday parties. I haven’t organized any birthday
part[ies] for [Daughter’s] birthday on March 23rd. We don’t even have
enough room, you know, if she wants to invite a friend [] for playdate.
In the instant case, we can all agree with the circuit court that Mother’s claim that
she should be allowed to move to Germany with her children is not a new claim. However,
her renewed request to relocate with the children because she can no longer sustain their