My son’s dad has only just come back into my son’s life in recent months after not seeing him for 5 years due to a court order prohibiting contact between them.

He applied to court last year to start seeing our son again after completing all of his domestic and substance abuse courses and staying out of jail. Long story short he is now seeing him again.

He has never contributed financially towards our son and I have been a single parent since he was born. When they started seeing each other again my sons dad started giving me a certain amount of money each week (his idea and decision)

In the past 2 months things haven’t been great between us and all communication goes through his sister. He hasn’t given me any child maintenance since the start of March even after me asking him to pay for his next season of football training and a school trip, which he hasn’t. I have been advising his sister that he hasn’t been sending me the payments as usual but she says he doesn’t work so how can he pay..

Since he came back into his life in December 2024 he has bought him an IPAD, a VR headset, a pedal bike, a motorbike and taken him on trips to the seaside and stayed in hotels etc. Today he asked my son if he wanted to go to Flamingo Land tomorrow

I asked his sister how he could afford these things and trips but can’t contribute towards our child’s basic living costs and that I am still living as though I’m a single parent financially. She made an excuse that her Mum was paying for Flamingo Land as an Easter gift.

AITA for telling her to tell her mum to buy him an Easter egg like a normal person and that unless his Dad starts to contribute towards the upbringing of him and his life necessities that I won’t be agreeing to these trips and contact as a whole ? I just feel like he is being Dad of the year throwing all these gifts at him and getting the nice easy bits of having an already raised child without the worry of the actual responsibilities of being a parent. Why did he apply to court for access to him if he wasn’t working and able to pay towards his welfare? I feel like he’s reaping the rewards of my parenting without having to put the work in whilst I’ve paid for it all.

My son is 10, I’m 28 and his dad is 32.