[feliciarae]

I am 19 years old, have been on my own since I was 17, my older sister got kicked out when she was 18, and my older brother was 11 when he got kicked out. Our guardian that "raised" us never fully adopted us, so we are considered foster. I have recently found my biological mother, finding out she is paying child support still on us. I guess its for back child support, she owes a lot of it. But how me and my siblings feel, the money that is now being paid should go to us. Our guardian never raised us the way she should've, cared more for herself than us, she would go get expensive haircuts, and her nails done and go get new clothes, and hit us. Me and my sister were in the same school clothes 8th grade-senior year. Maybe get couple shirts every two years. But seems like the money our guardian was making was going to herself. Then about 5 years ago she gets with this guy, whom has 5 kids, two still living with him, they were underage. Only the girl lives with her now, and the money that my biological mother pays for "our" child support is going to herself still, and the younger child living with her and her boyfriend. The kid isn't even hers, treats her like crap, and still gets the money that should be going to us. We do not live with her. Is there anyway we can fight to get the money back to us? We all believe, and have other opinions from people, that the money should go to us evenly. Even my biological mother thinks so.. Any suggestions?

Felicia Rae
Texas

[AK lawyer]

Tha's not the way child support works. It goes to the custodian (guardian in your case), not the children themselves.

And the court isn't going to micro-manage how the custodian spends the money. Household expenses over-all increase the more mouths there are to feed. The custodian is given extra money to roughly offset that increased expense. End of discussion.