[mjay0902]

I've been divorced for 8 months. I have a 7 year old daughter who is my life. I have been in the construction trade most of my adult life and financially, life has been hard. My wife won the child support order by telling the judge I only had my daughter one day a week and every other weekend, which wasn't true. I argued back, but he took her word for it, since she is the one that filed. Shortly, I began working pretty reguarlly and was paying child support every month, although I was behind from the beginning. I picked my daughter up everyday from her daycare, kept her until her mother picked her up (sometimes kept her when mom had things to do) and had her every other weekend. I didn't really care about the child support payment as long as I could see her as often as Mom would allow. When the economy spiraled downhill, I lost my job. After weeks and weeks of no job in sight, I decided to go back to a trade school and make a different future for myself and my daughter. School is full-time and I'm still searching for part time work. Mom is angry that there is no money coming in (even though, every time I'm able, I buy my daughter clothes, and spend as much time with her as I am allowed. She has not resorted to keeping my daughter away from me as much as she can. The latest thing is she said she is going back to court to take away as much custody as she can from me. Bottom line is I have NO money at this point. I live with my parents, go to school full time and feel defeated. My daughter calls me crying because she misses me and I feel helpless. If anyone has any suggestions, please give me some ideas. I will go back to court, but feel like I need some inside information if anyone else has gone through something like this. Thanks

[N0help4u]

For one she should never use your daughter as revenge. Your daughter is not a pawn to use as bargaining.
For another a decent good Judge knows that child support and custody/visitation are two separate issues and should be dealt with that way. One is not contingent on the other and it shouldn't be.