The noncustodial parent hasn’t paid court-ordered support in five months, but you can’t stop visitation from happening despite nonpayment. Or, maybe custodial parent receives their support, and you’re unable to persuade court into getting visitation rights established. It’s menacing to be in either situation, because children are going without one of their basic needs: parental involvement or money.
Getting Thousand Oaks child support attorney help is undoubtedly necessary for situations like this. They’ll get visitation squared away for noncustodial parents, modify orders if more time is requested, and even help with child support collection.
So, why aren’t both support and visitation guaranteed when paternity is established? It’s an ongoing nightmare for some parents paying support but not getting visitation granted. Conversely, some parents don’t get timely payments but are held in contempt if they deny visitation. Why?
California courts, much like any court system in America, separate the financial needs of children from the emotional support they receive from both parents. Parents legally obligated to support children they bring into the world aren’t always ‘fit’ to make decisions nor should they expose their potentially toxic lifestyles to children who may imitate their poor choices. Courts are not wrong for taking this position.
Parents emotionally stable but unable to pay court ordered support because of economic disadvantages or lack of work locally shouldn’t be denied participation in their children’s upbringing. ‘Broke parents’ aren’t necessarily ‘bad parents’, according to many family law judges. They’re just financially challenged at the moment. While this seems frustrating to custodial parents responsible for food, clothing and shelter, there’s no basis for withholding visitation from parents unable to give money.
‘Best interests’ may be tossed around by your Thousand Oaks child support attorney, and it’ll definitely get enforced by California courts. There’s an undisputable separation between survival needs and emotional needs; state assistance can help children with food and medicine, but no court system can give back the emotional distress endured when children are denied the love – and exposure – of two parents. Common sense, along with information provided about both parents, defines ‘best interests’.
Whichever position you currently have in your child’s life – full custody or occasional visitant – you are responsible for your child’s health in its entirety. Filling your child’s room with the latest technology, taking your children to Disney World twice a year, even saving money for their first car or college expenses is great. But deep down inside, none of these niceties matter one bit without the love and validation of both parents.
Maybe you’re a distressed mother wanting the putative father to own up to his responsibilities. Perhaps you’re paying child support religiously every week, but are having to fight tooth and nail to enjoy your children’s company. You’re taking your frustrations to social media looking for answers, but are coming up empty.
Just remember, folks, that any Thousand Oaks child support attorney can help you achieve your goals, but they cannot make you better parents. You should never purposely deny your child access to another parent based on financial incapability, nor should you purposely withhold money from another parent denying visitation. Courts will always keep these matters separate, although your child deserves both.
