What should we do with guys who don't pay child support?

Both moms and dads are equally responsible for support of the child, as you say. And that is seperate from alimony or household maintenance. Children have needs for food and healthcare that are often unmet on a single mother's salary. There are exceptions, I'm sure.

It's the modern age. You play, you pay! Those deadbeat Dads need to act like grown ups and stop being big babies!

I'm happy that you defended your children's right to a good future. Children deserve our very best. You did what you had to do. He left you no choice. You're a good mom!

While I understand where you are coming from, I disagree that a financial hardship should take any responsibility at all from a person (not just a dad) paying for support of their kids. Those kids are STILL a responsibility, and it's not their fault the economy sucks. Get a second job, get a loan, whatever it takes to take care of those kids. If you don't have the money to pay your house payment, does the mortgage company say, "Oh, that's ok, he doesn't have the money."? Will the electric company say, "Well, the economy sucks, we'll let him slide."? YES it's a tough situation, but it doesn't make the child's life any easier when the parent receiving support stops getting it. That puts full responsibility on the parent who is no longer receiving support. The economy isn't any better in their house!

THere is another side to this argument, from scrolling down the list of the discussions, there seems to be a recurring theme going on here. That theme is a guy doesn't pay support, therefore he is scum of the earth. I don't agree with that, because the economy has been going to heck in a handbasket, especially in the last few years. Maybe there is a reason why a guy can't pay support although he wants to, but can't make enough income to pay it when his income barely pays his own living expenses. I agree that men help make the children in the first place, but moms have a stake in their child's welfare as well as fathers. It should not be all on one parent to support the child. Too many times I see decent fathers working themselves into a early grave just to satisfy bureaucrats who can't seem to get the payments credited to the right account or worse sending the payment to the wrong mom. And all of you want MORE government sticking their noses into your affairs, are you all insane??? Imprisoning someone does not make the money appear, unless the person's family is well off enough to help the poor fellow out. Taking away their driving license, how does this help the child? It does not. Every adult is required to have a driver's license, not only as a permit to operate a motor vehicle, but for identification as well. Taking that away interferes with the ability to gain or keep a job if one does not have a license to operate their car does not do a damn thing to support the child. There is also another point to make here, if a woman is ordered to pay support and she fails to do so for whatever reason, I don't see anyone caterwauling to take her driving license from her, nor do I hear of any instance of a woman being jailed for non support either. Those who want to hang a guy for the same thing, think about this, it could be you next facing the same public ridicule for nonpayment of support, but not that any guy worth his salt would even ask for support because it would be more trouble than its worth to them to actually recieve it. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I'm so sorry that you are having to go through this alone. Men! As you say, they really are fickle.