How Child Support Laws Affected Me

Having children is not only one of the biggest changes you will ever make in your life but also it is impossible to know if you are fully ready in advance. Many people believe they are ready in every way, until the baby arrives and it is only then that they can comprehend the true life-changing effect that having a child will bring. This is not a negative statement. By far, my biggest surprise when I had my first child was the bond that existed instantly between us. There truly is nothing more powerful than the parent child bond. This actually began even before my daughter was born and I can still remember now, just how anxious yet happy I was during my wife's pregnancy. My child was everything to me but I hadn't even met her yet. So, I can only say, that if you don't already have children but there are plans on the horizon, then get ready for the most amazing feeling you are ever likely to experience. Now, child support laws are not something that any happy family would consider learning but as I have a relative who has not seen his child for 4 years along with my own personal experiences it is something I have developed an interest in.

Back in the 1980s child support laws were fairly simple in that, in almost all cases were in favor of the mother. Regardless of the case facts, the female was granted custody because it was considered that a child should be with their mother. When my parents split due to my father's unfaithful behaviour, my mother took my 2 brothers and me and bolted. When I say bolted I mean to say that she completely up-rooted and left the state. At the age of five, I didn't understand her reasons, but things are a little easier to comprehend as an adult. The thing is, I actually wanted to live with my father, and so did both of my brothers. We were young boys who loved their dad and it was only natural that we would want to be with him? We had no way of understanding the way he treated us. But, the decision was not down to us, and the courts ruled in favor of my mother.

What this meant for my father was that he had to pay child support. Those were the child support laws and (whilst now more complicated), still are. I find it very difficult to understand how there are so many fathers that do not want to pay. I would give anything to know that my child had everything they needed and would offer all I could afford. Surely any father who loved their child would agree. Still, as there are many fathers that don't, I consider it a good thing that there are better child support laws in place now. If it weren't for these laws then a close friend of mine would not be receiving payment from the father of her children. He takes no interest in his kids and has no time for them. My heart goes out to them and the two more children he has had with his new partner. It is because of people like this that child support laws have been revised so heavily and enable mothers such as this to claim payment.

However, I also believe it is because of people like this that some genuine fathers still struggle to gain access to their children. This is why, although they have improved, there is still some room for improvement in the child support law system.