i have a problem, bear with me...

[Madgyver]

I tried to stay out off this one as I'm on the receiving end of CS... I get less than $100. a month for my 2 but they are with me 24/7 so I don't complain.. I often here stories of fathers paying out 5x that, so I won't complain..
Ben,
Hang in there dude, you are close to your daughter now, cherise these years with her.. They grow up fast....
Honorio

 

[73stallion]

oh i know, she's grown over an inch since i first saw her in december! she's matured quite a bit too.

 

[22213evl]

QUOTE I don't think the post by kbldawg sounds bitter at all and he has certainly met his obligations and more over an extended period of time, giving him the right to expect this support to be used wisely and in the best interest of his children. I too wish there was some accountability built into the system to insure and check this, but there is not, and he continues to support his children none the less. QUOTE

I was not saying that he was a deadbeat dad
my point is
this checks and balances thing about HOW the ex spends the money
is ridiculous,
If your child is fed and clothed,and has a roof over their head then the CS is spent as it should be
your not always going to like what your EX-wife does. your not going to agree with some of her decisions
as long as your child is HAPPY and HEALTHY the money is well spent.

ps: my daughter now lives with me, she is 20 and a good kid. BUT she is way more exspensive than the child support I was payin. lol

 

[Skiddy]

I tried to stay out off this one as I'm on the receiving end of CS... I get less than $100. a month for my 2 but they are with me 24/7 so I don't complain.. I often here stories of fathers paying out 5x that, so I won't complain..
Ben,
Hang in there dude, you are close to your daughter now, cherise these years with her.. They grow up fast....
Honorio

Yes my ex was paying me $180.00 a month now I am paying $600.00 for the two. And one of the only reason my ex really wanted them so she didn't have to work, told me that to my face

 

[Bronco]

I disagree with you not being in a position to need to sell it. It sounds like you are unable to ship items that people have paid for because you don't have the money. I don't know the whole story about that but it seems as though your financial situation is affecting people that were promised things. I would not be happy if I were them.

You have a valuable asset that you would be able to get some cash for to keep your head above water. Then you wouldn't have to disappoint your customers. It would also help you take care of that child support debacle that you have been ignoring for some time.

If you are only driving it a mile a week what is the sense in keeping it? It is costing you money if you have it insured. If you don't have it insured then you shouldn't be driving it on the road. Pretty soon the next insurance premium is going to be due and then registration, at which point you are going to go deeper in the hole. Get some breathing room and sell it.

 

[sprdv1]

ps: my daughter now lives with me, she is 20 and a good kid. BUT she is way more exspensive than the child support I was payin. lol

You know that's right..

 

[sprdv1]

Yes my ex was paying me $180.00 a month now I am paying $600.00 for the two. And one of the only reason my ex really wanted them so she didn't have to work, told me that to my face

Just my O, but what a beeeeeotch... ;D

 

[FerrumCampitor]

Yes my ex was paying me $180.00 a month now I am paying $600.00 for the two. And one of the only reason my ex really wanted them so she didn't have to work, told me that to my face

Wow, I don't know where you guys live but $600/month for two kids is not enough to feed, clothe and house them. I'm lucky that my ex and I both agree on the kids coming first and our BS doesn't count when thinking about them. I'm paying a lot (a lot more than that), and I know that it still probably isn't enough to allow my kids to maintain the lifestyle they became accustomed to when I was living with them. That is what it is about - your kids being able to live like they would if you were still there. This is the "standard" amount enforced in most states unless otherwise arranged by the parents:

The proper applicable percentage is calculated by determining how many children the paying parent has an obligation to support. For example, a parent who only has an obligation to support one child will pay 20% of net earnings. A father who has an obligation to support two children with the same mother will pay 25% of net earnings.

That is quite a bit, but if you have ever stopped to look at how much you paid for them when living with them (Daddy I want that Matchbox bronco...its only $3. <two weeks later> Daddy look I don't have that color bronco yet. It's only $3.) It really adds up quick. Hell a trip to McDonalds will cost you about $20 minimum when you factor in food (yours AND theirs because you gotta eat too and you're not going to only get them food if you're there), gas, wear on your vehicle, etc.

I would gladly pay more if I could afford it. But I try to make up for it by paying for haircuts, shoes and their extra curricular activities. If the ex takes them on a vacation, just be happy knowing that your kids are having a good time.

 

[22213evl]

I disagree with you not being in a position to need to sell it. It sounds like you are unable to ship items that people have paid for because you don't have the money. I don't know the whole story about that but it seems as though your financial situation is affecting people that were promised things. I would not be happy if I were them.

You have a valuable asset that you would be able to get some cash for to keep your head above water. Then you wouldn't have to disappoint your customers. It would also help you take care of that child support debacle that you have been ignoring for some time.

If you are only driving it a mile a week what is the sense in keeping it? It is costing you money if you have it insured. If you don't have it insured then you shouldn't be driving it on the road. Pretty soon the next insurance premium is going to be due and then registration, at which point you are going to go deeper in the hole. Get some breathing room and sell it.

NOPE eat ramen, ask for patience, DO NOT SELL YOUR BRONCO

 

[kameron_i]

Kellies mom had to complain to the AG if the state was after you. I have custody of my daughter and my exwife has only paid 2 of the child support payments in 2-1/2 years. The state has never said anything. I only get 160 a month (well, supposed to anyway). I called the AG's office and they said they will not do anything unless I file a complaint. Needless to say, I haven't. I enjoy having my daughter 24/7 child support or not.

 

[73stallion]

i'm not going to. and this people telling me to is starting to make me a little mad. yes i understand i have an obligation. i'm taking care of that obligation now. this does not mean i have to sell my truck, and just because i'm not driving it doesn't mean i have to sell it either. it's gonna get paid off in time. even if i sold it, it wouldn't pay it off, not even close. the parts are going to get shipped. i have a paycheck coming in tomorrow, and i have no outstanding bills right now. i'm also about to sell a set of axle shafts, and that money would pay to ship everything!

 

[FSRBIKER]

Hang in there, your number one priority is your daughter. You made the commitment several months ago to move to Texas but you should have realized this day was coming. Times are tough all over, you might want to look into a second job for a little while to get your head above water and put a few bucks away. I would do that before I sold the Bronco IMO.

I sold my 67 Shelby GT500 to help buy the house I moved my family to, we trully need more space for our 5 kids so I sucked it up and made the decision. I also moved after I just finished my 25'x40' detached shop, my kids are worth any sacrifice though. Do I regret it, yes as I wanted my kids to enjoy that car as I did for the past 15+ years. But that's about it, I certainly don't regret selling it to buy this house, my kids have a great neighborhood with plenty of friends and it's a great home to raise my family.

Morale is Ben do WHATEVER it takes to keep your little girl happy, if you don't you will regret those decisions for the rest of your life. Keep your head up and soldier on, and keep those who you owe parts to in the loop.

 

[lonesouth]

Keep the bronco. If you live to work, life tends to lose its meaning. Enjoy your time with Kellie, bronco related or not, take care of the people you owe stuff to, and enjoy life.

Coming here and airing your situation to the world shows that you are doing what you can to make everything right. This doesn't look likes it going to turn into another bronco soft top situation, you're keeping people informed and that goes a long way to ease the tension.

I'm third, is how I try to live. I fail, but I still try...

 

[FSRBIKER]

Each state is different in regards to child support. Kellie's mom might not have said anything, it could easily have been they picked up that Ben is now paying taxes/registered a vehicle/new drivers license/etc that started the ball rolling. IMO you just suck it up and make the financial/payment arrangements and don't bitch(I haven't heard that you have at all) about who might have said something. It will be best for everyone in the long run...again IMO.

 

[73stallion]

actually this all DID start just after i got my license back in texas. a second job did cross my mind, but i'm on call for 6 12 hour shifts a week. i talked to my boss when i took the job, he said i can try and take on a little side work off the clients after hours. so far that hasn't happened, but i have had clients ask me for my personal card. i always hand them my boss' too.

 

[Devin]

i'm not going to. and this people telling me to is starting to make me a little mad. yes i understand i have an obligation. i'm taking care of that obligation now. this does not mean i have to sell my truck,

If you don't want people's opinions, then stop airing your problems out on a public forum. Why did you bring this out in public, anyway? Why not just notify the people that you owe parts to via phone or PM? Are you hoping for another donation from the EB community or something?

I don't know what your situation is, but I do know from personal experience that child custody/child support issues are very touchy and emotional. I have a step-daughter. Her biological father was pretty much non-existant for the first 5 years of her life. Not having your bio father around for a large part of your life tends to wrench on emotions.

Perhaps I am a jerk for saying it, but if you owe back child support, then I am glad that they are sapping your bank accounts. I get pretty riled up when the subject of "not paying child support" comes up. Before I married my wife, she was a very hard-working single mother. But, some times were hard for her and she actually needed some financial help. I don't really have any remorse for people who don't take responsibility and skip out on supporting their children. IMO, I think that you should definitely sell your Bronco and start making some BIG strides toward paying off what you owe.

 

[Bronco Corral]

Everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion. Maybe you sound like a jerk, maybe not. The fact that you're close to someone who's had similar problems, I can see where you're coming from.

The guy is trying to do the best he can it sounds like. If he owes 13 years in back child support, selling his Bronco probably won't make a dent in what he owes. If he thinks he can make good with his job, let's see what happens.

 

[73stallion]

ok, the ball is rolling again. i just talked to the atty general in austin and i told them i am working. he gave me the number to the local office, i have to go and see them to give them info so they can start withholding funds from my checks. i'll do that tomorrow since it's my day off.

and no, i'm not asking for donatons or a handout. i'm simply explaining my situation to a few people i owe parts to. you're probably right though, i should have just done this through PM's.

 

[WyleCoyote]

Ben, FWIW, I have never seen you ask for a handout or donations. I kinda came into this story late, but it seems you are in the process of getting your life in order, and that has to be the toughest thing to do. Kellie, obviously, is very happy to have you back in her life, which shows me that you are doing right by her.

You were right to let ppl know you are having problems shipping the parts. It was very brave and noble of you to do so in a public forum, you had to know there would be detractors and attacks. But by posting it here, everyone knows the same story, and you will come out as the bigger person in the end.

Keep your shoulder to the wheel, it's already starting to turn around.

 

[kbldawg]

ok I don't mean to take sides here, but as someone who paid child support for 16 yrs, the above statement just sounds like bitter bs
money dosen't RAISE a child
give the money AND ALL YOUR TIME,
then you will have the right to bitch
my 2 cents

It absolutely amazes me how people can come on here and make such ridiculous statments about people that they have never even met. You have no clue as to the status of my relationship with my kids, but for some reason you have assumed the worst and therefor I am bitter about making the payments. Amazing!

First of all...the issue was Child Support in the financial form, my post was related to that and that alone. I realize there are many other ways of supporting your children that are more important than finances. Again, if you knew me, or my kids, you would know that.

For some reason you seem to think that holding people financially accountable for CS payments is a bad idea, I'd like to know why that is. The courts seem to think it is really important, and I happen to agree. As a matter of fact, I would think the only people that doesn't think it is important are the ones not making them.

I enjoy the discussion, but I prefer people to think about their statements before they go off on some mindless rant about people they don't even know.