A former Eagles player found out the hard way about two of those. Freddie Mitchell, who has been out of football since 2004, was recently arrested on tax charges. He was released on his own recognizance to resolve his back child support issue. He apparently did not, so he is in jail for failing to pay child support.
Look, child support is a court order. You have to pay it or you go to jail. There are plenty of mechanisms in place to protect oneself if one cannot pay. Failing to avail yourself of those mechanisms is just foolish. A good family law attorney knows how to talk to the child support enforcement folks to work a deal.
That is beside the fact that the money is for your kids. Really, your kids should go without food and clothes because you can't get your act together? Because that is who suffers if you don't pay child support. Not your ex-spouse, not the spouse's new spouse, not the spouse parents, brothers, sisters, etc, who never liked you. Not the friends who bad mouth you for not paying child support (hmmm, causal connection there). It's the kids.
I have heard every story in the book. "Oh she is spending the money on herself, that is why I don't pay." "Oh she is putting the child in daycare just to force me to pay more child support." "She is taking the child to the doctor to run up child support and make me look bad." "She never lets me see the kid, so why should I pay." Guess what, none of those work with the court to get child support reduced. Or to excuse not paying. If she is really not letting you see the kid, then you take her back to court. You do not ignore your own obligations because she is doing wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right.
It is simple -- Pay. Your. Child. Support.
My favorite was "I didn't want the kid in the first place." Really? You know what caused that pregnancy, don't you?
ReplyDeleteAh yes, another oldie but goodie. It works about as well as all the others.
ReplyDelete