Child Support Issues

If a couple decides to separate and they have kids in the mix, you better believe that they will eventually know what it means to deal with child support issues. When we say there may be child support issues, you can rest assured that there are many. Child support may seem like a pretty simple concept: one parent makes a payment to the other parent on a regular schedule to contribute to costs associated with raising their joint child. However, there are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to child support, and we’ve dedicated this article to discuss some of the more common issues that you’re likely to encounter.

What is Child Support?

Child support is one of those aspects of family law that really entails a lot more than just a monetary exchange. While child support is a court-ordered amount due from one spouse to another, that description just barely scratches the surface. So in an effort to get you informed about the topic, see below for some of the underlying forces related to child support.

A Lingering Reminder

Probably one of the largest issues that we see come up with regard to child support is the fact that it serves as a reminder of a former relationship. Whether you’re the person paying or the person receiving payment, chances are when it comes time for child support to become due, it may bring up some raw feelings. Because this occurs on a monthly basis, it can be hard to dissociate the payment from any pent up emotions, regrets, or memories associated with your former partner.

Parenting Time &  Support

The other straining piece about child support is related to parental responsibilities. Child support may cause strife as it serves as a reminder about how much (or how little) time a parent gets to spend with their child. Because the amount due under a child support order is related to parenting time, you can expect that the paying spouse may exhibit some signs that appear unusual. For the paying spouse, a child support check is often symbolic of the fact that they may not be getting to spend as much time with their child as they would desire.

Legal Proceedings

Paying child support or receiving a check for child support may revive negative feelings associated with the legal process. Perhaps the judge was unfavorable towards one party.  Maybe one of the attorneys was rude.  Or maybe a CFI made some negative findings in their report. Whatever the case may be, chances are that if there were unfavorable experiences during the legal proceedings, the child support check may rehash all of those feelings.

Coping with Payments

Child support seems like a pretty straightforward concept in family law. While that may be true to some degree, child support may also serve as a proxy to remind the parties about a number of other issues. If you are experiencing these issues, we can help you to make things better. Whether that is working for expanded parenting time or helping you get a more equitable day in court, we’re here for you. We offer free consultations with our team of attorneys. So call us today to see what we can do for you.