You would not believe how often I hear this complaint. One parent will but the kids new clothes, send them to the other parent’s house and they never return. So the first parent continues to buy new clothes, and sends them to the ex’s house, and the cycle continues. This issue understandably makes people very angry, not just because it’s a money thing, but because it’s a respect thing. However, there really isn’t much you can do about this problem alone. Unless you specify in the Decree of Divorce that clothes sent with a child must return home with the child, then there is no possibility of using the court’s contempt power (for contempt, you need 1) a clear order, and 2) a willful violation of that order). And a judge will look at you like you have three heads if you bring some kind of Motion To Make My Ex Return Clothes I Buy For My Kid.
What usually happens in this situation is that there are other issues going on. Maybe one party isn’t paying child support like he or she should, or maybe one party isn’t abiding by the court-ordered visitation schedule. What I do, then, is piggy back the clothes issue to the other issue, that way you don’t upset the judge, but you still get the judge to admonish your ex.
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