I'm a child of a deadbeat dad. I know how it feels to not only know that your father is alive, but that he has nothing to do with you when he could. I haven't seen my father since I was six (I'm 19 now). He's always been short of child support payments. And when I turned 17 he decided to stop paying altogether, thinking my mom wouldn't do a damn thing. He was wrong...we're still dealing with courts over the matter. We've won, but we haven't seen a dime.
Does this all make me a man hater? No. What this tells me is that the court system is flawed.
I turn now to a topic very near and dear to me.
What is a deadbeat dad? My father is a prime example of a deadbeat dad. A man who COULD be involved, but chooses not to. But I'm not so blind that I'll condemn every man with a child who's life he isn't a part of. There are circumstances that exclude a man from the deadbeat dad stereotype...don't you think?
1. The man who was never informed of his fatherhood.
2. The man who TRIES to pay and be a part of his child's life, but who literally can't.
3. The man who is kept from his child on the mother's command.
Hey, what about deadbeat moms? They exist, where's their media attention?
What should be done? Why am I raising this issue? The court needs to redefine its focus! While fathers like mine are allowed to live on in peace, not having to answer to their mistakes, men who can barely feed themselves are being thrown in jail! Who does this help?
What do you think? Do you have a personal connection to this issue? Do you think the system is flawed, and if so...how can it be fixed?
Does this all make me a man hater? No. What this tells me is that the court system is flawed.
I turn now to a topic very near and dear to me.
What is a deadbeat dad? My father is a prime example of a deadbeat dad. A man who COULD be involved, but chooses not to. But I'm not so blind that I'll condemn every man with a child who's life he isn't a part of. There are circumstances that exclude a man from the deadbeat dad stereotype...don't you think?
1. The man who was never informed of his fatherhood.
2. The man who TRIES to pay and be a part of his child's life, but who literally can't.
3. The man who is kept from his child on the mother's command.
Hey, what about deadbeat moms? They exist, where's their media attention?
What should be done? Why am I raising this issue? The court needs to redefine its focus! While fathers like mine are allowed to live on in peace, not having to answer to their mistakes, men who can barely feed themselves are being thrown in jail! Who does this help?
What do you think? Do you have a personal connection to this issue? Do you think the system is flawed, and if so...how can it be fixed?
