Here we go again.....

Well, another holiday has come and gone. Wouldn't you know the child support payment tends to always fall on a holiday? What I don't understand is, its only one day. Why should it take SupportKids a week to get caught up from one day off? I don't get it. Working for a hospital, that kind of stuff doesn't fly. I think holidays are their excuse to slack off. When you pay a company to provide service and that company relies on payment from another company, (that doesn't get paid but is on top of things, by the way) its pretty pathetic. Case in point, the DA's office. I told you before all the stops my support goes thru before it gets to me?? OK...so, how come the DA's office can send the payment the next day after a holiday but Supportkids takes a week?? Why do they get 34% of my payments for crappy service?? I want their job. Although, honestly, I could never do that to people. Having no conscience must be one of the criteria for employment. I mean the "I have mine but you have to wait for yours" mentality is wrong. Hmmmm, I wonder how long it will take. I will be sure to keep you posted. Again, no closer to direct deposit with this company. You'd think with all that money they could hire someone to figure it all out. Wishful thinking......

Double Standard.....

I would like to know what you people think about the term "Double Standard"?? Does it really exist? The dictionary states the meaning to be:

1. any code or set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another, esp. an unwritten code of sexual behavior permitting men more freedom than women.

Have any of you had any experience with this term?? Who was the person that decided what was good for men wasn't necessarily good for woman?? I'm really curious on this. I'm guessing a man, considering its the male that gets more freedom than the female. Also, where did "Whats good for the goose is good for the gander" come from?? And, if the above rule applies, that statement should really be..."What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander. It depends entirely on the situation and the temper of the goose." Am I correct?

Im a proud Military Mom!

This blog is a dedication to all the military Mom's out there. My son is currently stationed in Spain, he just arrived Sunday. I don't know about you but the thought of my 18 year old son in another country is kinda scary. I'm so proud of him but scared for him at the same time. Who would have thought that this child, who was so rebellious for 2 years, would end up serving our country?? He went from a kid that was in trouble with the law constantly to becoming a Military Cop. Now isn't that ironic? I don't know how many of you out there are having problems with your teenagers, but I want you to know, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once they get out on their own, the change is remarkable. My son was always good, down inside, he just went into hiding for a few years. Don't give up hope. I know what its like to want to give up but you cant. You keep pushing, and if they push back, you push harder. Kids need structure and guidance. The last thing they need is to be left alone. I'm living proof that you can survive the teenage years, although I still have a 15 year old at home, after the first child, I can survive anything:) Now, I have a son that is fighting for our country. How noble is that?? I'm a proud mother in more ways than one.

Supportkids....what a joke part 2.

Well, I must say the response from Supportkids made me laugh. Was he responding to my post or was he advertising for his company?? I want you all to know, its not that I don't appreciate the fact that they found my ex-husband's employer 5 years ago...I do. My issue is with the amount of time it takes them to process my money and the cost of their services. The DA's office process my payments consistently every 2 weeks, and I guarantee they have ALOT more business than Supportkids. Why should I have to pay a company 34% (over $15,000) of my child support to delay payment to my son and I? Why do the existing customers have to pay a toll charge when the new ones don't?? I'll tell you why, because once they have you roped in with a signed contract, its all about them. Their customer service sucks, their payment processing sucks, and I have to pay an additional charge if I want to talk to someone because of the toll charge. AND when you call, no one can give you a definite answer. Instead, they are just rude and don't return phone calls. I'm in the medical field...if we had a vendor that treated our company the way they treat their customers, we'd fire them. I tried, but they wont let me out of the contract until they collect their full fees.....(again, over $15,000)...they give nothing but excuses for their behavior and tell me I should be lucky to get what I get. Whatever!!! Don't blame the State for your short comings, I don't. And for the record, Direct Deposit has been around a while. You get your cut, why does it take you 2 weeks to send out money that is already in hand? Sitting on the interest maybe?? Id rather get nothing. The fact that I pay them to be treated like this makes me sick to my stomach. I'll say it again.....Don't hire Supportkids for your child support.

Single Parent Websites.

If you feel alone or are frustrated with your current circumstance, as I am with the issues I am having collecting my child support from Supportkids, here are a few sites that have great resources and may have answers to your questions. If for nothing more, a place to get and give support for other parents in your situation.

http://singlefamilyvoices.com/eve/forums
http://forums.plentyoffish.com/datingForum21.aspx
http://singleparents.about.com/mpboards.htm
http://singleparentsnetwork.com/
http://www.parentsworld.com/
http://www.babycenter.com/baby/babysingle/index

I hope this helps:)

I'm so tired.....

Here we are, another month and my payments from Supportkids are still running behind. They are unfazed by my e-mails and they don't bother calling back when I call to check status. Why does this have to be a constant struggle? Didn't I hire these people to help me?? They cause me more stress then the DA's office did when I was doing their job for them. I'm at the point that I would rather NOT get the money than pay those people for doing nothing. It's not fair. Anyone out there considering having a baby?? You should really stop and look at your long term plan. If the father isn't going to be a willing participant, make sure you can afford to support the child for the next 18 years. And, BTW, the older a child gets, the more expensive they become. Wait...OK, let me re-think that. When they are first born, formula, diapers, and child care are pretty costly. So, I guess, the beginning and the teen years are the most expensive. True, most of us get married hoping for "Until death do us part"....but the reality is, it doesn't happen for the majority of us. Add kids, and it can make life challenging sometimes. Have you ever heard the saying, "Rob Peter to pay Paul?" Yep, I can relate:)

Supportkids........what a joke!

After ten months of in-depth investigation and research, a well documented report about Child Support Enforcement issued in March, 2002, by the U.S. General Accounting Office, shows that private child support enforcement agencies are providing valuable assistance to custodial parents.......I read that article and had to laugh. I want every Single Parent out there, in search of child support, to be very wary of the company you chose to help you get your money. 5 years ago I was desperate. My ex husband left the state and the DA's office wasnt doing anything to help me get child support. I seen an advertisement on the TV for a place called SUPPORTKIDS, they are based out of Texas. I didnt read the fine print and have been paying them ever since. He owed me 45,000 at the time. When I signed the contract, I didnt realize they were going to continue to take 34% of my child support until 45,000 had been collected. I hired them in November of 2002 and they are still collecting. To date, Ive paid those assholes thousands of dollars for their services. They refuse to terminate our contract until they have collected the full amount, which means, at the end of this thing I will have paid them 15,300 dollars. The DA's office sends them the check, they take their 34% (almost half of my child support) and then cut me a check for the rest. They have done nothing besides the initial contacting of his employer with the garnishment 5 years ago. Since then, they have received their fair share and then some. Right now, the time it takes for the money to leave the DA's office in San Bernardino, go to Texas and come back to me, is 2 weeks. Since we just went thru the holiday season, my checks are running 3 weeks behind. Wait, its February and my checks are STILL 3 weeks behind. When you call them, they are rude and do nothing to help. I understand a single parents need for support but there are other ways to go about it. True, I did most of the work for the DA's office but if you know the state your ex lives in, it might be easier to go thru the DA's office there. Dont hire this company. They rip you off. As long as they have their cut, they dont care how long it takes for you to get your money. And did I mention, the new clients get an 800 number to call but the existing clients have to pay a toll charge?? If I can help one person out at all from this blog, I hope its you!!

The statistics are unreal...

It is estimated, by reliable sources, that only 1 in 7 children receive the support that is due for their welfare and benefit. We have a society in which some parents do not own up to their responsibility's, while the other parent is left to carry the load of both the raising of the children and the financial support of them as well. It is now an unacceptable situation for all concerned. In order to maximize the support paid to the children, insure their welfare, reduce the load on the state or federal government and restore some kind of responsibility to both parents, we must be a society where it is unacceptable, for any reason, to not pay the court ordered child support. Otherwise we will all become wards of the state, either through governmental financial support or governmental taxation, on the rest of us. Something is wrong and it needs fixing now!