More Thoughts And Questions....

by Tina
(Pampa, Texas)

I have read quite a few of these comments. Some of them talking about why nothing has been done to get their child support...Why does the non-custodial parent have to pay when the custodial parent doesn't even have a job to help support child? My answer is LACK OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT...Here is my story.... How many of your stories, men and women, sounds just like this?

My ex-husband and I divorce back in June of 1993. My daughter was 18 months at the time. For the simple reason being he was and still is an alcoholic. Just ask his new wife. He drinks his pay check away. When he does get a job he loses it within a short amount of time, because he either goes to work drunk or he calls in because he is "sick". He has been incarserated for DWI's more than ten times his adult life. Once of which he had my daughter with him. I have got phone calls in the middle of the night from strangers saying that I need to come pick up my daughter because her daddy was slobbering drunk and went to jail. If I didn't allow her to go, an officer would be at my front door telling me I didn't have choice, it's "Court Ordered". He currently has a device hooked up to his vehicle that he has to blow into every morning in order for it to start. That is how he lost his last job... the device detected alcohol and would not allow his truck to start.

I worked for the County Attorney's Office here in P. Texas for ten years. In 1999, my boss (free of charge) prepared an agreed order that my ex actually signed. He was to pay an additional $100/month. His child support went from $57.00/week to $80.08/week. That is it people. He had quit a good job to go to work for a man that would pay him cash so that it wouldn't be reported, just so that he didn't have to pay his original amount ordered. This has been on going for years. From 1999 til 2009 he was only ordered to pay $80.08/week. He has only paid...faithfully....for 2 1/2 of her 17 years. He has never had any type of insurance on her. Never paid for half of any doctor bills, glasses, braces, her first car, prom, etc...
She would go months with out seeing him. If she wanted to see or talk to him, I would call him or she would herself. He has NEVER made a phone call to her. She would always have to act like the adult and do it. When he would set up a time to come and get her...she would have her little bags packed and ready to go. Smiling from ear to ear....waiting for her daddy that never came. Don't get me wrong, she would be picked up sometimes.......but NOT by him. Either his mother or whom ever he deemed a responsible adult. Which was always questionable.

Now she is at the age to see how he is and how he acts. All of the things that I tried to cover up....for her benefit when she was younger, she now sees for herself. He is now over $60,000 arrears. The Attorney Generals Office has had a "pending" case on him for two years. My amazing daughter graduated a full year early from high school and will be starting college in August. The money that she is due...... would sure help pay for her schooling. What happens now; Now that she has graduated? Texas Law says c/support stops when the child either graduates or turns 18 years of age which ever is later. She turns 18 in December. Does it all just go away? She needs some help here. If we can't count on our Local, State and Federal Government to help us with these situations, who can we count on?