How do we know that we have a child-centered budget?

Make a budget off the top of your head in five minutes or less. See whether the items that benefit you are listed before those that benefit only them. Think about the last five non-essential purchases you made. How many benefited you and how many benefited your kids? Put the child-centered budget in your divorce agreement.
How can you tell if you’re confusing your own needs, or hatred for your ex, with the real needs of your kids? If the subject of most of your sentences is “I” or even “my kids,” instead of “the kids” or their proper names, that’s a pretty good indicator. I ask parents to write a mission statement into their divorce agreement so that even on a bad day they can be brought back to their own words about what was truly important.