People tend not to like paying for anything, but child support seems like one of those things that would actually be easy to stomach. Even if the marriage fell apart, wouldn’t the parent be happy to pay to help raise a child that he or she loved? After all, the parent anticipated paying at least that much when the couple was together, as raising a child is never free.
However, some experts have noted that people often hate paying child support, whether they are rich or living from one paycheck to the next. Since the amount of wealth doesn’t matter, what is it that makes them resent the payments?
Some experts believe the problem is greatest when the spouse who has to pay also didn’t want the divorce. Perhaps he or she thought the marriage was fine, for example, but then the spouse asked for a divorce and quickly started a relationship with another person. Maybe the spouse even got remarried.
Now, the spouse who has to pay just feels insulted by the payments. He or she has lost a comfortable family living situation, but the ex has not, simply marrying into another one. The ex also gets to live with the child, while the spouse who is paying does not. Essentially, that person feels like his or her life fell apart, though things stayed relatively nice for the person who asked for the divorce in the first place, and now the person who didn’t want to split up also has to pay.
If you’re having trouble getting your ex to pay, perhaps because of this psychological impact, be sure you know what legal rights you have in California.
Source: Huffington Post, “Child Support: Why He Can’t Stand Giving You That Check Every Month,” Jackie Pilossoph, accessed March 24, 2016