Dear Source:
Non-payment of child support is the number one form of child abuse. "Deadbeat parents" put their children in harm's way by neglecting them. Virgin Island children are growing up in poverty at twice the national rate, with 35% living below the federal poverty line.
I am a wife, substitute teacher, and the proud mother of an American soldier and a college freshman. Besides working with Spanish speaking and special education students, I volunteer as a children's advocate in family court.
Parents who take responsibility for raising their children are to be emulated. Changing family dynamics are irrelevant to providing for kids. Parents should contribute to the sustenance of their children from a sense of moral obligation — not because a court orders them to.
Most deadbeat parents are not missing; what is missing is up-to-date information for contacting them. Many dodge the system by changing jobs and addresses to keep ahead of child support collectors. When deadbeats avoid their duties, messages are sent to the children that they are valueless and that obligations do not have to be met.
We permit child abuse when we allow deadbeats to walk away from their moral obligations. Ours used to be known as a strong family community. Let's not let deadbeats erode our values, tear our community apart, and force our children to live in poverty.
Lisa Marie Galiber-Forgeron
Murrieta, California
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