Irish Mama, British Dada

Mamam

Hi folks,
I am looking for advice/opinions.
I am an Irish Mum with one child. Dad lives in UK. We have never gone to court, he put his name on birth certificate a year after birth, he pays £280p/m, and visits as and when suits. I have never, nor would I, denied him access. However, being a full time working single Mum is a tough job, and I want him to commit to visiting for longer (he gets free bed and board in my home), to give me more notice about when he plans to visit and to give more maintenance.
My question is: am I being unreasonable? Where do I stand legally? What options do I have?
He has a good job offshore, working two weeks, off three...
Thanks in advance.

cbyrd

To be honest, £280 is quite generous, that's about E380 per month, so you're getting about E80 per week. If you did go to court, you'd get a lot less, I currently get E500 per month for 4 children, court approved!
As for visiting, it's not unreasonable to have a schedule, it's good for your child too, to have routine. I think working out a 6 month schedule with flexibility if plans need to change would benefit everyone.
It's tough when you don't know where you stand.

MinnieMinx

£280 a month generous? On what planet exactly?

OP, join mumsnet.com and ask on the thread AIBU and see what other (mostly) UK based mums think. I think you'll get some good advice on there.