Should Child Support Money be Tracked?
“How do I know that the child support I am paying is really being used for the benefit of my kids?” This is a question I hear from my bankruptcy clients as well as from Social Security disability clients who are facing the prospect of giving up their lump sum and part of their monthly payments.
One of my blog readers proposes a solution to this dilemma:
Child support should be taken from both parents equally put into a monitored account and a debit card should be given to the custodial parent, all money used with account would be tracked. Nowadays child support is used as a way of getting free money for travels new cars hanging out at the malls and nothing to do with the kids.
Is this solution realistic? Does the man who wrote this have an accurate understanding about the obligations of a custodial parent? What do you think?
Filed under Blog by on Nov 7th, 2009. Comment. 
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Jonathan Ginsberg
Comments on Should Child Support Money be Tracked?
Well, the child if the child is Clothed, Bathed, in a home, has a room, clothing, electricity to watch TV, play games, keep them warm, has food, and water….Then, the child is taken care of, and it should not be the business of anyone to where the actual payment goes. I am a mother with 2 children and it has been 8 months that I have supported my 2 kids with NO help from the father, and when the Tax check comes, I WILL TREAT MYSELF TO SOME NEW CLOTHES AND A NIGHT OR 2 OUT…..Because of the fact that I have made sure my kids have had all they need and then some. Movies, dances, out with friends. Cute clothes….They are taken care of but only by me…And I will do what I WANT WHEN THE MONEY HE OWES COMES IN….I Go without, and I know he goes out to bars and out to eat all the time cause his new wife is a nurse, and she has no obligation to my kids and he don’t work a real job, cash jobs every now and then. SO remember the making sure the kids get electric and water and heat and a home and a vehicle to get places is part of his responsibility also……
As a non custodial father, before my divorce, I was the primary bread winner and know exactly what it takes to raise a child. Now divorced, my children do NOT receive the care and welfare they need, let alone deserve. If nothing else, The money provided for the children should be at least monitored through a separate account, whether or not there are any consequences to how the money is spent. This would at least allow the support payor a chance to see how their money is being used. Questions could be raised against the supporting parent, and the answers to this and the patterns of spending could be used in any litigations or arguments for or against either parent in any case pertaining to the divorce. Also, being the child of divorced parents myself, I know what its like in all aspects of this issue. My half sister’s mother saved her child support and bought herself a car and a house with it after my sister turned 18. How is THAT helping my sister or helped her in her growing years?
In addition, I beleive if there WAS more accountability on the side of the support recipient, or at least a tracking mechanism, the level of “deadbeat” dads would most likely decrease as many believe as I do and have seen – the money is “free” for the ex and very little gets “filtered” directly to the children.