Non-custodial parents are speaking up about the family court system and how current child support laws are doing more harm than good. Many fathers are complaining that the system is set up in such a manner that these non-custodial fathers are destined to fail. They claim that astronomical child support obligations are forcing them both into debt and out of their children’s lives.

With the amount of interest and late fees that are tacked onto child support obligations that have not been paid on time for whatever reason, small debts are accruing into out of hand dilemmas quickly. Those fathers who pay their support on time claim that the amounts usually ordered by the court are so high that the father cannot afford to meet the obligation as well as their other financial obligations.

This link will take you to an online petition for non-custodial parents. There is an open letter to the president, George W. Bush explaining the flaws that many non-custodial parents feel are wrong with the Family Court system.

Child support always seems to be a sore spot for families of divorce. One side always feels that there isn’t enough child support, while the other side feels that they are paying way too much support. What should courts take into account when figuring out a child support obligation? Are the courts giving the non-custodial parents the short end of the stick, or are non-custodial parents simply bitter about having to hand money over to a parent they no longer wish to have in their lives?

In our situation we never asked for any child support payments. The few times that we had asked for money for items such as school supplies or clothes we got an earful of screaming. Not wanting to go through a drawn out court battle over money that we didn’t need, we decided to just let it go and not ask for a dime from that moment on.

What has been your experience when it comes to child support and the court system?