Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey
Dead Beat Mom
My husband and I have had custody of his almost 6y.o. for over 2 years. The mother has been ordered to pay child support and half the medical bills. She has never paid a dime. She owes $2,700 in just child support. NJ gives my husband the run around, PA (where the mom lives) gives my mom the run around. Mom has made no attempet to see child in over a year. Why is she allowed to do this? Mother is unstable, can't hold down a job, and yet because she gave the child life she's allowed to do and act how ever she sees fit. While my husband an I are this childs soul support. I am having a very hard time understanding the legal system. How do we get this woman to do her part? That she is legaly supposed to do. Is there a way to get soul custody? Please help!!
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Dead Beat Mom
Well, it's obvious that you despise the mother of your husband's child, apparently, with some justification.
However, the woman you regard as an evil pariah is still the mother of the child at issue. The law wants to do as much as possible to try to maintain a relationship between the child and both parents, even if there is a certain amount of dysfunction and irresponsibility.
It is not the child's fault that your husband and the child's mother could not get along, and split up. The child is the victim, not you.
If you really wanted to take legal action to collect the child support, you could either hire a lawyer, which would probably be too expensive to make it worthwhile; or contact the NJ or PA authorities in charge of enforcement of child support orders.
You seem resentful that the child's irresponsible mother is allowed to maintain a relationship with the child because "she gave the child life."
But the fact is, she did, and you didn't. Rather than continuing to focus any more of your energy in a negative fashion, on the irresponsible mother, have you considered trying to direct all your energies to making the child's life as positive as possible? The child needs someone to play that role. Why not you?
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