Playing on your emotions and sympathy… Stay strong and don’t give in!
In an effort to get the child support families deserve, some custodial parents will try and make a deal with the person who owes support. The absent parent has a way of tugging at some of the old feelings we may still have, after all, we did care for them at one point and for some, they know that they should have listened to their instincts and not gotten involved! I’ve heard custodial parent tell tales of “if you forgive the balance I owe, I promise I’ll do right. You don’t need to go to court, you know I want to do right for the kids “, “I want to pay but my boss will get mad if I ask him to withhold” or an oldie but a goodie” Let me pay you directly”.
Please, no matter what the plea, DON’T DO IT. Let the courts handle the new arrangement through a support modification to your order or have a child support enforcement agency handle it. Agreeing to something outside the courts may only hurt you down the road and, in most cases the deal will fall through and you will still be left with no support. How often has the NCP already broken a promise to you or the kids in the past? And, just an FYI, an employer cannot ignore an income withholding order! So remember, let the courts handle any and all modifications to your court order. This is the best way to protect the support that is due to you and your family.