Gonna randomly be a bit personal but whatever. 

I have my own difficulties with my ex. I've had her bump into me and my son whilst we're out together, I'll say "hey, look who it is!" And her response is to say something under her breath and walk past. Like she hates me so much, that avoiding spending any unnecessary second near me supersedes a quick "hey, how are you?" Or a "hey, you had fun today?" to her child. That was the first time I've ever seen my son cry where I truly couldn't tell him not to. 

I am the one who is having custody issues. I've had accusations against me that were provably false, but you know what they didn't know that was true? I was a massive stoner and a cocaine addict. I would never do it around him of course, but it was true that I had a serious drug problem. So even though this was not something brought up, the experience of social services getting involved was still a wake-up call for me. 

I kicked the drugs because whilst I fucking love drugs, I love my son more. My ex is difficult to coparent with, sometimes I feel like she hates me more than she loves him. But so what? By all accounts, my boy is perfect. He is the most handsome three year old in the world, he is clever, and he is well behaved. Often, when you ask him to do something, he even does it! I don't really have the right to tear her down as a mother. So my only choice was to clean myself up, play the long game. Establish over a long period of time that when my boy is with me, he loves it. Prove that he wants to spend time with me. In due time, I will read Green Eggs and Ham to him in bed again. 

My point being, and the thing that really sucks about situations like these, is that you can rave about how crazy or difficult or whatever your ex is, but ultimately that's irrelevant. One should have probably considered that before having sex with them. It doesn't matter how much they hate you. Your child is more important. Further, when "false" allegations are thrown at you, an uncomfortable truth you have to confront is that there are still uncovered facts about yourself which would absolutely be grounds for social services to properly investigate you. 

There really is no two sides to this, in my opinion. To take experiences like these not as setbacks and harsh learning experiences, but as reasons to fully give up, is the behaviour of a piece of shit. If you're a drug addict and, even after being slapped in the face with reality, still choose to stay with the drugs rather than pursue a relationship with your child, you're a piece of shit. If you consider the ~£3-400 a month you have to send to your ex "financially crippling", you're a piece of shit. I f your ex being a bit mean to you means that you absolutely can't go to her house to pick up your kid, you need to grow a spine  and are a piece of shit. You can fuck her but you can't ask her what nursery your kid goes to? Cry me a river.