Frustrated!

by Ann
(Montana)

My boyfriend and I have been together for over a year and are living together. He has three children 9, 12 and 17 and does not have custody. He is paying around $900 a month in child support to his ex wife. Her boyfriend is living with her and she also receives very substantial gifts of money from her grandfather. He bought her a car, a boat, and new furniture, among other things. She is always traveling somewhere and went on 2 or 3 vacations this summer, all the while my boyfriend and I are both working 2 jobs trying to scrape by and make ends meet. She will also receive a very large inheritance when her grandfather passes away and will pretty much be set for life. I'm not saying my boyfriend shouldn't pay child support but can the child support be reduced based upon the extra income that she receives? I'm not really sure about the rules/regs about this but am just really curious. Basically she is receiving income from 4 different sources but still nags my boyfriend for $14 to pay for something she had to buy for one of the girls. She works as a teacher, her boyfriend is also a teacher, and she receives money from her grandpa and the child support from my boyfriend. So that adds up to a decent income! My boyfriend is not a deadbeat dad and has never been late with a child support payment and has been more than flexible with her. It is really frustrating for us to try to make a future together while she lives high on the hog and has no money problems whatsoever.