i am being threatened by my ex, he wants split custody. i currently have full custody and can not afford a lawyer to defend myse

The Father has the burden of proof to carry out his wishes. The court will seriously consider the status quo, what contact he has had, and his lack of parenting skills/accomodations. If he has little or no contact, it is highly unlikely that he would be granted immediate contact equal to yours. However, it is presumed he is entitled to contact and that it is good for the children to develop a relationship with him. Depending on what has occurred before and your children, that probably does not equate to immediately plunging the children into major amounts of contact with him.

You state you are "threatened." Why? Does the Father have something on you? If so, it might be best to be open about that and be prepared to show the court how you've dealt with this supposed problem.

You might be able to afford an attorney to give you advise and to do limited services for you . This is called unbundled legal services and many family law lawyers in King County do this. Can the Father afford an attorney?