Dads are people too.

Dads are people too. Single dads need as much help raising their children as single mothers do. Some may say they need more help (at least in Missouri - a strong women's rights state). The image of a father is often tainted by the father's who leave the relationship and are then required to pay child support, and sometimes don't. The myth is that there are TONS of "dead beat dad's" out there. The truth is there are just as many "dead beat mom's" out there.

When a father leaves a marriage or relationship, the mother can ask the state to pursue child support. There are fathers who live with the mother and children, and are still required to pay child support. All the mother needs to do, is go to the state and ask allege that the father is not supporting his children. The state will pursue the father and ask no questions. The father will have to obtain a lawyer, go to court (a multitude of times), pay court costs, and provide overwhelming proof (if the mother is adamant that the father is a deadbeat)  that he supports the children.

If you are supporting your children, and mom says you are not, keep EVERY receipt for ANYTHING you buy for your children, DO NOT GIVE CASH WITHOUT A RECEIPT. Communicate with mom via email so a trail is left that is admissible in court. Write letters (and photo copy them), send certified letters through the USPS, video tape difficult custody exchanges and have witnesses write statement for the judge to review.

Hope for the best, sure, but expect a lengthy court trial to keep your rights as a father. If you do not have overwhelming evidence to the contrary of mother's allegations, you will most likely lose your children, and be required to pay child support, and have only visitations (if not supervised) with your children.

This is a heartbreaking situation that is prevalent nowadays. The Division of Family Services is funded on the number of cases it oversees. The number of cases is increased by the requirement that mothers who are on state aid must name the last known location of the father. Mother's are happy to do this since they get a paycheck when they do. Food stamps, Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (cash on food stamp card), and child support.

As a father who has equal custody of my children with their mother, I was still required to pay child support. I was actually providing MORE than 50% of the children's monetary care. The children were with me at least 50% of the time. Still, I was required to fight through the system to prove that I should not pay child support.

To add insult to injury, when mother is adamant that father is deadbeat, there are FALSE statistics to prove she is among a majority group of mothers who's ex is not paying child support. She can say outright lies, and everyone believes her because these bogus statistics support her claim. Even when father is proven not to be a deadbeat, when leaving the court room, angry glares from other mothers and people and murmurs of "PIG!", "DEADBEAT", usher forth from frothy mouths.

GET REAL! Father's are persecuted. Add to that single father's who are struggling to support themselves and their children when the government says "You are a man, get a job, we have no support system for slackers like you!" yet the mother right behind you, in the same predicament, will get several thousand dollars a year to help, maybe even her bills and rent paid, and an educational pell grant and daycare.

The system is broke. We must stand up for our rights as fathers.