A divorced father recently wrote to the Care and Feeding advice column, asking whether he is still responsible for helping his ex-wife with home maintenance tasks after their divorce. The couple had split due to irreconcilable differences and shared custody of their three children on a 50/50 basis. The father sold his share of the family home and bought a smaller house in the same school district, while his ex-wife kept the original home and refinanced the mortgage. The father explained that his ex-wife has been asking him to perform various maintenance tasks, such as clearing snow from the driveway, sharpening the lawnmower blades, cleaning gutters, and cutting down a fallen tree branch. He mentioned that she sometimes had the children relay these requests to him. He has been ignoring the requests, stating that he has his own maintenance responsibilities and expenses for his new house. The father also recounted an incident where his ex-father-in-law questioned him about not helping his ex-wife, suggesting that she was in no position to afford such services. The father responded that it was her house and her expenses. He expressed confusion about whether he was still responsible for helping maintain her home, given their shared custody of the children. The column responded that the father is not legally obligated to help maintain his ex-wife's home. It noted that financial matters related to home maintenance should have been addressed during the divorce proceedings, particularly in discussions about alimony or other financial support. The column advised the father to be clear with his ex-wife that maintaining a house he no longer owns is not his responsibility, while also being considerate of her situation. It also suggested that he should be willing to help in urgent situations but should not be expected to handle non-emergency tasks.