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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lifetime TV recently announced the launch of its new reality show, Deadbeat Dads. The show was originally developed for Fox but that network abandoned its plans last year after a public outcry. The show will reportedly follow Jim Durham, founder of a private child support collection agency as he tracks down and confronts dads who don't pay child support.
Reuters describes Jim Durham as "an avenger of penniless single mothers [who] hunts down deadbeat dads and forces them to pay child support." The article goes on to describe Durham as "a sort of 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' for tracking deadbeats."
In the show's pilot, a financially destitute single mother is contrasted with her wealthy ex-husband. Durham tracks the man down and confronts him at his country club in front of his friends.
The US Census Bureau reports that in 2006 roughly 78% of custodial single parents who had child support orders received at least part of the money they were due. Mothers and fathers were equally likely to pay the full amount of child support owed, about 46%. The father's rights organization Fathers & Families argues that in most cases, the fathers who don't pay the child support they owe are living in poverty themselves. They resent the fact that the program will show impoverished mothers with wealthy fathers and further the stereotype that all men are selfish deadbeats abandoning their children.
Jim Durham, the show's star, is no stranger to controversy. He founded the private child support collection agency National Child Support. His firm and others like it have been under fire for years from father's rights groups and women's advocacy groups alike. In many cases, the information about child support debts that is fed to private collections agencies is incorrect and the methods the agencies use to collect are questionable. Since child support is considered a court award and not a regular debt, child support collection agencies are not bound by the same rules as consumer debt collection agencies. Women's rights groups claim that these private collection agencies are taking advantage of vulnerable single mothers. Generally the firms charge an application fee, 30-40% "commission" on any money collected, and administrative fees. Once a contract is signed, the collection agency can pocket the commission on any money that comes in, even if they had nothing to do with collecting the money.
Aside from questions about the ethics of private collection agencies, the validity of the "deadbeat dad" stereotype, and the rights of the fathers who will unwittingly star in the reality series, some groups say there is a bigger issue. The children of the men featured on this program will be humiliated and alienated. They are too young to understand the realities of the legal and financial situation and are too young to consent to having their "dirty laundry" aired on national TV. Even children who don't turn on the television and see their own father being called a deadbeat or hear about it from a friend or schoolmate will be exposed to the stereotype and may make assumptions about their own fathers.
The national Fathers & Families foundation led the campaign last year that resulted in Fox dropping its plans to pursue this series and they have already started a similar campaign against Lifetime TV.
As a single mother, it is easy to look around and find examples of deadbeat dads which are absolutely infuriating. As an open-minded single mother, it is also easy to find examples of deadbeat mothers and vindictive mothers working against good fathers who are doing their best to do right by their children. I was not able to back up some of the statistics quoted by Fathers & Families about the percentage of men who pay the full amount of child support owed but to me, that issue is secondary. The biggest problem I have with a television program like this is the effect that it will have on the children. It will be interesting to see whether Lifetime decides to proceed with the pilot. What do you think about Lifetime's decision to develop this program?
The LA Single Parenting Examiner weighs in on this discussion from the perspective of a single mom fighting to get support from a deadbeat dad.
Update: Houston Fatherhood Examiner shares his thoughts on the program, both as a father who pays child support and a step-father of children who are owed support.
- US Census Bureau: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support - 2005 (PDF)
- Time Magazine: Deadbeat Profiteers
- Reuters: Fox Zeroes In on Bad Dads
- Fathers & Families: Thousands Protest Lifetime TV's New Reality Show Deadbeat Dads
- Non-custodial Parents are Parents Too: Resources for Non-residential moms and dads
Comments
I realize my take is biased on this, due to my own deadbeat ex, but I don't necessarily think this would be bad for the children, particularly since a man hosts. It could show the children that they ARE worth standing up for, and fighting for, even if (sadly) their own dads don't think so.
Non custodial moms are more likely than fathers to not pay their child support.
I'm not sure what the Texas OAG does with all of the money it gets in federal matching funds, but I'll note that I've been after them for 3 years to get them to collect on my ex, and we still haven't even had a court hearing. I caught no end of grief and threats when I was a payor (even when paying on time), but when the tables are turned, the silence is deafening.
This show is horrible and if you think its not so bad, how about a show on mothers who do not allow dads access. How do you think you would react to a tv show that surprises a deadbeat mom who acts as gatekeeper of the children when its dads turn to have the kids. Bet you wouldnt wan to see that. Will this show also go after mothers who do not pay child support, I think not.
And Iactually thought I had an idea for a show lol! This is a Great idea for a show >As a father who pays Child support but feel I was always treated unfairly by the mother of my son and the state of Michigan . I strongly support the show ! A Parent needs to support the child NO MATTER WHAT ! My wifes is actually owed over 65000 bucks and never got a thing from her ex husband who planned his life around running from child support. I cant wait to see the show . I feel the Honest Guy that pays his support is often exploited and treated like glucking shit while loser fastards get away with murder and We who pay our support are screwed.
I keep hearing father's rights groups saying that single mothers are twice as likely to default on child support as fathers but I have never seen the data that supports that. According to the Census Bureau report cited above, 46% of men pay the full amount of child support and 41% of women. I'm not a mathematician but the report clearly states that those numbers are statistically the same. The father's rights groups also claim that the majority of men who default on child support are living at or near the poverty line themselves. The Census Bureau report cited above also does not support that claim. I'd like to see the research that backs up these statements.
You must be mentally retarded if you can't understand how 36% is greater than 41%
Children identify with their parents, even when they are absent. This show is a disaster. I hope everyone will join Fathers and Families's campaign to stop the airing.
I've seen the stats about moms and dads and child support payments. I'll try to find them. I've also seen studies done for the govt that show noncustodial households as some of the poorest in our nation. That's something not often examined.
As long as they denigrate men (and not women), should be good TV, right?
The gynocentric worldview that this show espouses is no longer welcome in a society where men seek equality of treatment with women in the home.
Are there no deadbeat moms? Or does this show only seek to portray men in a bad light?
Misandry is no longer welcome (as misogyny is not welcome), nor will it be tolerated.
Men will now stand up (as we did to support women's right in the workplace) and demand EQUAL rights in the home.
Why do women get custody of kids 83% of the time in case of divorce? Is it because much of popular culture is not very cleverly disguised contempt for men?
It takes courage to be a Father these days. It also takes courage and vision to see through the fog of media sensationalism and reach out to another human being. So thank you.
Thank you for remaining open-minded. Perhaps you will search out the website of Fathers and Families and join the protest against a show that unjustly denigrated all Fathers. Until all Dads labeled as criminals have a trial by jury with due process they are not guilty. Anyone is in this country is subject to arrest. Never think you are immune.
After being a parent for six years, I know only one truth. And that is that every child loves his Mother AND loves his Father. And America has forgotten this fact. Parent and Woman are not the same word. There are some exceptions where one parent is so toxic that they must be removed from their child's life. But a child knows, if allowed to think and feel, that each parent has their talents and their failings. Even the worst parents are loved even as they are hated. This is the power and pain of our family ties. Let each parent who is without reproach throw the first stone.
The Courts in more than 77% of all situations must find a Good Parent and a Bad parent to feed the Family Law industry and its financial underpinnings. As the Good Witch says in 'Wicked', 'I know what it is to be popular.' With the wind at your back, it is easy to gloat in victory. But each mother that succeeds in having a Father excluded from her child's life, has won at the expense of their children's love and innocence.
Parents are just people. But the good ones are the real Superheros. And they come in all colors and sexes. And if they need clothes for their children, they shop at Goodwill, brew their own coffee and don't squander the family savings hiring family law Attorneys. Parenting is sacrific. Level the playing field, get juries into family courts, or better yet, get rid of them all together. Your child will only then have all the toys and tuxedos they need.
There is 1 woman on the 10 most Wanted Parent list. I guess we won't see her story until they produce America's 10 most Maliciious Moms. I have the story for the pilot episode. But I will never let that get in the way of caring for my child and will continue to take the high road 'in the best interests of the child'.
2 wrongs don't make a right. I stood up for women's rights in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Now women are using false statistics, rigged courtrooms and verbal abuse to destroy the parental rights of men.
I am the caretaker of my child, but a quack judge gave custody to my son's mother based on her lies and sex discrimination. Then the next day, in a victorious mood, my ex called me a 'Deadbeat Dad". Well from 3 1/2 on my son has stood up to her and her maliciousness.
Prejudice comes in all colors and sexes. Fathers are the new n****rs And guess who is doing the lynching? I am calling for all parents to enlighten each other and join forces to fight the anti-family laws that pit Man against Woman, family member against Family member. While we bicker, the Family Law Attorneys, Judges, Social Workers and Bar Associations toast us at their Exclusive Retreats.
Did Oscar just copy and paste his replies to the two different articles? now THAT is impressive. I have so much to say about this issue that my brain is overflowing with words, but I will be brief: as a single mother of FOUR with a deadbeat ex who is thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars "behind" on child support, of course I am biased. However, I would be more than happy to concede the argument if the following criteria were met: that I, as a single mother, would NOT make approximately $.60 to a man's dollar. If I had the opportunity to stand up in front of the nation and say "This is wrong" without being labeled as just another bitter woman. If the things I do daily are lauded as something heroic (like when a dad, apart from family OR with them, actually parents!) instead of being denigrated at every turn. As soon as I have the ability to hold MEN accountable for the millions of children who are abandoned in this country. As soon as all that is met, and more, THEN I will take seriously these claims that fathers have no rights. Until then? Air the show; I will be in the background cheering them on.
It's funny how some women like the term "deadbeat dads" and wear it like a badge of honour as in "My ex is a DEADBEAT" All the other girls OHH and AHH POOR YOU! HOW DO YOU SURVIVE? Nobody seems to mention the 1000's of tax free money and tax breaks all these "single" moms get from taxpayers. They already take and take from society, and then they expect the ex to give them even more. "I'm a poor female, how can I be expected to look after my children all alone?!" I've heard the term "deadbeat" apply when a father is already paying 40% of his net income in Child Support and can't afford to buy the kids "extras", when he won't agree to send them to summer camp, cause he is too cash strapped, when he is a few days late on his payment. When he loses his job and can't afford to feed or house himself. He is a deadbeat anyway. When the courts impose sunch fines and penalties on him, often in error, that the $1000 he was behind in payments becomes $5000. The term "deadbeat dad" is used in every concivable situation where a decent father is trying his best, but it just isn't "good enough" for the ex-wife.
DOn't air this show. It gives fuel to the trend of calling all men deadbeats, no matter how how they try.
"Kori says:
I would be more than happy to concede the argument if the following criteria were met: that I, as a single mother, would NOT make approximately $.60 to a man's dollar. If I had the opportunity to stand up in front of the nation and say "This is wrong" without being labeled as just another bitter woman. "
U better start conceding now then because the only women who can claim such foolishness are un-educated women or women with little work experience. The governments own reports have proven this. Women making less mony is a lie the way it is spun. Women who are have same job, same work history and so on make equal or more. I began to question that whole thing when I looked around at my friends and reliazed that every women I know makes more then their husband in the IT field. They didn't take any time off work yet to have kids at those points of course.
The 1000's and 1000's that you think your x owes, perhaps if it were a bit more reasonable. It's probably closer to 100's of dollars.
Why do people think there is nothing wrong with this system. When a man will quit his job so he doesn't have to pay (i'm not saying that happens often, but i'm assuming not all the women who claim this are liars). How does that make sense? What would drive a person to do this? Do you think for 1 second that it could be they are so pushed and beat up that they are protesting the system the only way left to them besides violence/suicide? It's not logical to make NO money vs a little.
My boss went throug a divorce recently and flat out told me that his x makes more then him now because he has to pay her so much and because she spent all her retirement he has to pay more. These types of storries are horrid. I could easily see a person like this quitting because they are simply not motivated to live let alone work.
Anonymous says:
I keep hearing father's rights groups saying that single mothers are twice as likely to default on child support as fathers but I have never seen the data that supports that. According to the Census Bureau report cited above, 46% of men pay the full amount of child support and 41% of women. I'm not a mathematician but the report clearly states that those numbers are statistically the same. The father's rights groups also claim that the majority of men who default on child support are living at or near the poverty line themselves. The Census Bureau report cited above also does not support that claim. I'd like to see the research that backs up these statements.
Send along your email or some way to contact u and mountains of data can be sent anon
It seems difficult to find current data. Not sure why there isn't available info for 2008 or 2007. Here is what I could dig up though. These look old though. If someone can pull together more recent info that'd be great, but make sure you post where it comes from unlike anon.
• 90% of Non-Custodial fathers Pay Child Support. (Source: Census Bureau report. Series P-23, No. 173)
• 90% of Fathers With Joint Custody Pay Child Support. (Source: Census Bureau report. Series P-23, No. 173)
• Fathers With Visitation Rights Pay 79.1% (Source: Census Bureau report. Series P-23, No. 173)
• 44.5% of Non-Custodial Fathers Still Financially Support Their Children. (Source: Census Bureau report. Series P-23, No. 173)
• 66% of Fathers Not Paying Child Support Are Unable To Due To Lack of Financial Resources. (Source: GAO report: GAO/HRD-92-39 FS)
• 52% of Fathers Who Owe Child Support Earn Less Than $6,155 Per Year According To The Poverty Studies Institute.
• 47% of Non-Custodial Mothers Default on Child Support. (Source: Garansky and Meyer, DHHS Technical Analysis Paper No. 42, 1991)
• 27% of Non-Custodial Fathers Default Child Support. (Source: Garansky and Meyer, DHHS Technical Analysis Paper No. 42, 1991)
• Total Custodial Mothers: 11,268,000. (Source: Current Population Reports, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Series P-20, No. 458, 1991)
• Total Custodial Fathers: 2,907,000. (Source: Current Population Reports, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Series P-20, No. 458, 1991)
• 66% of Non-Custodial Fathers Do Not Pay Child Support Due To An Inability To Pay. (Source: U.S. General Accounting Office Report, GAO/HRD-92-39FS January 1992)
• Custodial Mothers Who Receive a Support Award: 79.6% (Source: Technical Analysis Paper No. 42, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Income Security Policy, Oct. 1991, Authors: Meyer and Garansky)
If there is any doubt about the fact that women default more than men in paying CS those doubting Thomas’s should contact Jeremy Swanson at swanson@storm.ca who can provide the links and the empirical feedback to support this claim.
There is a difference between people who are not ordered to pay child support and those who are ordered to and default.
It is true that custodial fathers are awarded child support far less frequently than custodial mothers (36% of fathers vs 61% of mothers according to the Census Bureau report linked above) That is wrong no matter how you look at it.
However, when child support is awarded and ordered by the court, mothers and fathers are equally likely to pay (approx. 46% pay the full amount, again, according to the Census Bureau report cited above)
The sad fact is that there are some deadbeat mothers out there who do not support their children financially or otherwise. There are also deadbeat fathers who don't support their children financially or otherwise. There are also good mothers and good fathers. Lumping an entire group together and stereotyping just makes you look like a sexist idiot whether you're saying that all men are deadbeats or that all mothers are gatekeepers.
Saying that mothers are twice as likely to default on child support as fathers is manipulating the data. If child support is not ordered (right or wrong), you can't default. Are those mothers deadbeats? Absolutely. So in the end, I guess it's just semantics but thanks for clearing it up because every time I've heard that line and checked the numbers, it never matched up.
Still, this discussion was never about who the deadbeats are or men vs. women...it's about whether the reality show should air. I don't think so for a lot of reasons. And I say that as a single mother who is dealing with an ex-husband that chooses to have nothing to do with his children. He flaunts the pictures of them and plays father of the year then goes months without seeing or talking to them on the phone. No, I'm not a gatekeeper...I beg him to visit the kids and bend over backward to make it happen but he chooses to play games (showing up at my house on Saturday morning after not communicating with us for months then demanding to know why I'm not home and saying that I'm keeping his children away from him. That time I told him we were headed home from the grocery store and would be there in about 10 minutes but he was gone by the time we got there. It was another 4 weeks before he called or answered the phone when the kids called him...I've got a hundred more of these stories but some of you would probably still blame me!) Even based on my experience, I realize that my experience is just that...one situation...not all men are like my ex, not all women are as accommodating as me. I wish we could all act like adults and look out for our children so that no conversations like this were necessary!
Just to clarify, I have a child support order that I don't enforce. It would be nice if he took responsibility for the children he helped to bring into this world but whether he does or not, I do and will continue to do so. My only issue is that he needs to either step up and be a father or get out of their lives completely...disappearing for months at a time (not showing up for scheduled visits, not answering the phone when the children call him, not returning calls when they leave him messages) then showing up and wanting to play Daddy for a day and disappearing again is not healthy for the children. I want him in their lives, but if he's not going to do that, he needs to make up his mind and not keep going back and forth.
Yes, I made a mistake in marrying the wrong man (and then having children with him). I'm doing the best I can to make that right. I take full responsibility for my choices. I know that not all NCPs are like him...but some are. Not all custodial parents encourage a relationship with the NCP, but some do. Stereotypes hurt everyone.
I found it. US census - Child Support for Custodial Mothers and Fathers, 1997, printed 2000
excerpts:
Overall, custodial mothers received more and a greater proportion of the total due: $15.8 billion of the $26.4 billion in support they were due (59.8 percent)
Custodial fathers were due $2.7 billion and
reported receiving $1.3 billion, or 48.1 percent.
Among the 7.0 million custodial parents due child support payments in 1997, most (84.3 percent) had arrangements with the noncustodial
parents for joint child custody or visitation privileges with their children.
About three quarters (73.3 percent) of these custodial parents due child support received either full or partial payments.
The 1.1 million custodial parents due support but without joint custody or visitation arrangements had a much lower rate of receiving support, 35.5 percent. The
highest rate of receiving at least some child support (83.2 percent) occurred when the noncustodial parent had both joint custody and visitation privileges.
About 35.0 percent received clothes from the noncustodial parent, 23.1 percent received food or groceries,
Somehow I missed the link to this article and only caught the one to the other single mom.
I think it happened to several MRAs so we're seeing piles of comments to the other and only a few to this one.
Unfortunate.
Barbara has written a mature and balanced article here. I don't see a shred of sexism towards men here. Refreshing.
I'm not a father but I feel for fathers in today's society. I can't imagine what it feels like to have my children taken away from me....and have EVERYBODY, including the LAW and GOVERNMENT...looking at me like I'm a bad father. A bad person.
This show, like any show that wants only to present one side, is sure to feed the fires of negativity towards fathers.
"The biggest problem I have with a television program like this is the effect that it will have on the children."
I couldn't agree more. Forget mother's and father's rights for a moment. What about CHILDREN's RIGHTS?
It shouldn't be about dads or moms either can be a deadbeat.
I dont see the show hurting the children more than the deadbeats who disappear months at a time and show up whenever convenient. Not to mention how the children live in poverty because of the deadbeat parents.
It angers me to know that my ex can party all night buying alcohol paying his way into clubs and buying God knows what kind of drug to get him high YET his kids get no support from him, not a call, not a visit, not a penny!
This is another example of profiteering at the expense of children who need both parents in their lives. All this show will do is to perpetuate the stereotype.
Deadbeat Dads? What about Deadbeat Moms who alienate their children from their Dads based solely on the Moms dislike of her former spouse? I pay my child support even though I haven't seen my children in years due to my ex's alienation. How about a show about this...
Thank goodness there appears to be single mothers and fathers using responsible common sense in their comments. The extremists and stereotypes continue to get the press.
I've been a responsible father financially and have equal shared custody of my son, spending quality time when he is living with me. His mother used my military obligations to schedule rendezvous with another married man. When I was deployed to Iraqi Freedom her attorney and the local court shifted into high gear. My own attorney, in my opinion, was inept when it came to defending a deployed serviceman. The local prothonotary failed to file my commander's letter regarding the Uniformed Service Members Protection act. The domestic relations master was clearly ANTI military. Although I pay support ahead of schedule and receive checks back from the state, the local Domestic relations office considers me to be in arrears, negative arrears.
Local courts find it politically beneficial to persecute fathers. Freedom isn't free and Justice Isn't Cheap.
Dale
I thought the Bible said to honor mothers and fathers. Guess those rules don't apply to Jim Durham or the malicious investors of Deadbeat Dads who approve his nefarious ways.
The giving of the cells needed to bring a new life into this world does not automatically guarantee that you have the privilege of seeing that life to adulthood. Many of these men seem to forget that.
Being responsible includes your responsibility to be respectful (and not abusive) towards the children's mother.
I too have seen studies and read reports. Studies also show that it is not safe mentally or physically for a child to be in a household in which the weaker parent is abused, and this happens quite frequently. In fact children are often given to the abuser in this scenario, and the best protection offered to the victim and chidlren is shared parenting. Study after study has shown how harmful this is for children living in an abusive (parent on parent abuse) household.
Hello again Terri, is jugsforjustice.org slow this week?
The Lifetime's Deadbeat Dad show could not come at a better time. I think a show like this is much needed. I have done everything the DA's office has asked of me. I have bent over backwords and pleaded with my ex-husband to help in supporting our two kids. His response, it "what is in it for me." This guy, who has the ability to make over $300,000 a year, but decided that living in another state (away from his children) to be with his wealthy parents so he does not have to work, tells the D
I have to say, although I completely understand the errors and issues of bogus "child support" and games played by both women and men... It is true that those that actually NEED to be recognized as dead beats.. partying on taxpayer money etc.. are NOT getting attention. The judicial system is not working.. it needs to change. That being said; I think a more educated balanced view of these situations may be better.. such as, various types of situations. I think the bottom line is.. mothers and fathers such as myself who watch employers cover for employees and protect them, or those working for cash.. ARE the problem. On the other hand....there should be exposure to these other deadbeats using their children as leverage to soak the ex. I am divorced twice.. I took less than the norm in child support from my first husband, but still based on our income it was a good amount. However, he was active in our children’s lives and still is. The second husband lied about his past and hid it. Four
it. Four children and women he took to the cleaners before being caught. When we caught him.. he took off...leaving me as the other women with a quarter of a million in debt and after two years.. $20K in back support - no where to be found and caught in a web of interstate bureaucracy... nothing is being done. Then on the other hand, I have a male friend whose ex seems to control him with his child and child support. He pays $1200 a month with insurance...yet she will try bargaining his visitation for more money for extra curricular activities she believes that the child needs. He is never allowed any say... all sides of the coin..but I tell you... in MOST deadbeats situation it is NOT the norm that there is any confusion on what happened and why the situation is where it is. Bottom line is. A parent is a parent.. no matter their income or lack thereof... if you have a child with or without your partner that child has needs. It is impossible to me that there are this many deadbeats out
out there that have some socioeconomic reason not to uphold this obligation. I will also say this, to say women are not still more oppressed in this than men… is to be naive. However, this is not solely a male/female issue. It affects the entire of society.
This should certainly prove to be an interesting show!
We should be allowed to judge for ourselves !!
I'll give you a classic case of a "mother" who abandoned her children, moved to Europe for a time to have a "better life", then came back after not finding the better life. Remarried, moved out of state, is ordered to pay child support for four children, but instead eats caviar in bed, and doesn't pay a cent....screw the kids! Look at the dead beat Moms too.
In the 60s when a man left his wife and family and didn't pay, he was a deadbeat. Now, we have 70% of divorces filed by women, a vast majority of them no-fault. They take the house, the kids and a check without regards to whether or not the father can pay. They pay lip service to fathers...that's it.
I am one who overpaid child support to my ex when my son emancipated since it took them 6 months to stop taking the money. But the state says she only has to pay it back in increments, no more than 20% of the ALIMONY (will take close to 2 years to pay back), not child support she gets, because as a standard, it would create too much of a strain...yet they take 33% of my income. She sits on the entire $60,000 from the sale of the house, a full-time job with the school (which the court says she doesn't need to work in the summer) and I am forced to file bankruptcy.
How about a deadbeat system? Thank you society for legally taking away my children, financial future and my rights.
I have a name of a honest to GOD deadbeat dad. He refuses to pay child support for his 16 year old daughter but pays his MARRIED childrens bills. I would be more than happy to give Lifetime his name and address!!!
i have copies of homeless shelter receipts with my 2 and 5 year old childrens names on them. i have a picture of a christmas tree with 2 salvation army stockings under it, and nothing more. i have itemized phone records for the past 2 years with no incoming calls from my childrens father. i also see pictures of him on facebook living and enjoying his life. working off the books, and spending time with his girlfrieds children. his vacation pictures are hard to look at, because my children have never had a vacation, but still we look together. my son now 10 years old, sees this too, and understands. to all the deadbeat, heartless, selfish men and women out there. remember, your children will grow up, and will resent you for all that you do not, and will not do.
Whether you want to hear it or not there are great number of dad's out there that don't pay simply because they don't to. In my case, there was no divorce settlement, I didn't get "the house" or anything else. Currently, my children father owes over $100,000 in Child Support. Our oldest is about to turn 18 years old and he has successfully managed to get away without providing for her physicaly, emotionally, or financially. Ica cannot believe all these people belly aching about how it only shows "one-side" or how it feeds the fires of negativity. There should be fires of negativity against fathers whom don't support their children, and even more fuel added for those that make excuses about not doing so.
I can not beleive that Lifetime wants to air this show. I contributed to the public outcry when FOx was going to air this show. my husband raised his daughter on his own and never saw a penny from her mother. My husband was laid off an sometimes had no electricity. But she doesn't fit your profile becasue Lifetime is more interested in the "Deadbeat Dads". I watch Lifetime all the time but if they air this I will never watch it again.
I think the show should be called Deadbeat Parents and not show the kids at all, just the parents. This Fathers and Families organization says most of the men are living in poverty themselves, but I don't buy that it's due to hard economic times. My son's father lives in poverty because he exhausted unemployment, refuses to work and the last job he had at Walmart he got fired from for stealing. Any money he has goes to drugs, he doesn't even have a car. He paid two months of child support and that is it.
Yet he is now starting to whine I don't let him see his son, when he can't even pass a drug test.
He's 30 years old and lives with his grandmother. No one will hire him because he gave himself meth mouth and can't pay $12,000 to fix it. This show needs to expose People like him who think they don't have to do anything, are entitled to everything and then whine about how all their rights are trampled on because they don't have anything. I have money without his check, because I actually work my butt off. Poor him though, as far as he's concerned he has no money because of the economy as well. Not because of what he did to himself.
It is about time something is done about the shameful way single mothers and their children are treated in this country. Way to go Lifetime TV!! We cannot get our institutions to do its job of enforcement of court ordered child support. We cannot get our public officials to address this state sponsored child neglect. The orders are not worth the paper they are written on. Tax payers complain about the cost of social services to these families in lieu of the missing court ordered child child support while condoning the behavior of deadbeat parents. If moms turn to state aid they are required to seek work or the aid is cut or eliminated while the state refuses to serve dads with a Seek Work Order as the law requires. Shame on this nation for how it ignores its obligations to the children abandoned by parents and the law!!
Um, It shouldn't be a contest on which gender is the bigger deadbet. Kids are suffering from parents acting petty and immature and breaking the law. Nobody should be revelling in that fact. I really think this is getting to be a sexist argument that only continues with time, it is not excuseable for to not pay court-ordered child support, man or woman. The fact that one does it more than the other should not excuse anybody. Let's all just agree that the deadbeat parent is in the wrong, whatever the gender.
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