The child support system in this country does more harm than good.... research it yourself.

I grew up without a father. I was raised by a single mother... an aunt and grandparents. I.. or rather.. my Mother never received child support.

As an adult I was married in 1990 and had a son a few years later. A few years after that I was divorced and a full time custodial father.

After that I remarried and had another son. Three years later came another divorce and my ex-wife became the custodial parent. After several years things changed and I felt his well being was at stake and his best interests would be to live with me. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars to win custody... a battle that I would not have had to fight, given the circumstances, had the genders been reversed.

I remarried later on and had two more sons. after eleven years we divorced and she became the custodial parent. Our time was split equally... exactly 50% with each of us. Even still I was ordered to pay 650.00 USD per month in child support. This went on for several years. My income dropped over a summer and I asked the court to modify the support payment based on my greatly reduced income... No. I was told flat No. Even though they were under my roof exactly 50% of the time and so half the time I had to maintain a home and provide for them and still continue to pay the same amount...

In August of last year my oldest son from my last marriage came to live with me. Naturally I asked my ex-wife to contact the local child support office in Scott County Tn and notify them of the change... she did not. I called them myself but to no avail. I formally requested a hearing in writing but was never granted a hearing. I am still waiting for that hearing. In the meantime I began to accrue arrearages because I was not going to continue to pay the same amount of child support having one child with me full time and one child with her full time. Our earnings were equal.. our time and responsibility was equal. Now... eventually my drivers license and then my professional license were suspended due to non-payment of child support. I called for hours...days trying to appeal to someone who had some sense of right and wrong..or fairness or even the patience to hear me out but that's not how it works apparently.

Now I sit here with no means of supporting my family...even though I have never faltered...not once in my duty as a father..as a parent.. as both mother and father... not once have I ever failed to be there. I have supported financially...emotionally... I've taught..guided..instructed... comforted... loved... praised... worried and fretted... I have been there. But that doesn't matter and I can't get anyone to listen.