AITA for planning to report my husband’s ex to CPS for what’s going on in her house?

Okay, so my husband has two kids with his ex-wife they’re 15 and 12. They’ve been divorced for 7 years. We live in Texas and share custody but lately I’ve been seriously considering reporting her to CPS. Not because I want dramabut because I’m genuinely freaking worried about these kids.

My husband pays $2,300/month in child support, and when they split, he left her with everything. I’m talking had to sign a paper with the judge stating he left too much everything tomake sure the kids were stable. He’s also a very present parent. We pay for all the extras…clothes, school stuff, sports, shoes, birthdays, whatever they need. But here’s what the hell is going on in their mom’s house…the AC has been broken for who knows how long, and there’s now actual mold growing on the walls. The bathroom the kids use has a black toilet, shower, everything covered in mold and grime. A rock broke the outer pane of the front door (it’s a double-pane). Accidents happen, sure. But the broken glass has just been sitting in the entryway for weeks. Like… sweep it the fuck up?? Kids walk there daily. The washer is broken, so they’ve learned to preserve their clothes. One of them told me she wears an outfit out, takes it off the second she’s home, folds it up, and reuses it because laundry barely gets done. There are no snacks, groceries, or drinks in the house.. just water. Their mom doesn’t cook AT ALL. Every single meal is takeout. And if she doesn’t feel like driving into town to get food? The 15 y/o literally told me: “I just drink water or go to sleep. Sleeping makes the hunger go away.” I can’t make that shit up. We asked if the stove or gas even works. They don’t know because its never been used.

Now here’s the kicker…mom went on TWO solo vacations this summer. A cruise and then a trip to Scotland. Meanwhile, the house is falling apart and the kids are figuring out how to survive off water and air. She left them with her parents while she traveled, so they were technically safe… but still. WHAT???

And here’s where I’m struggling…I’ve been a single mom. I know shit gets hard. Money’s tight, things break, sometimes you cry in the shower and feed your kids cereal for dinner. I don’t judge struggle I lived it. But this? This isn’t survival mode. This is just straight up neglectful.

If I had money for international vacations, you better believe my moldy ass bathroom and busted AC would be handled first. Food in the fridge. Clothes washed. Broken glass gone. This isn’t about her being broke it’s about her not giving a shit where it counts.

We haven’t confronted her directly because she’d absolutely flip out, and we don’t want to risk the relationship we have with the kids. They love both parents. But I also feel like staying quiet makes us part of the problem.

So… AITA for planning to report this mess to CPS? Or do we just shut up and keep the peace because “technically they’re alive and not in danger”?

Posted Aug 4, 2025, 11:24 AM UTC · locked

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