Financial issues are a priority for all Americans right now and single mothers are no exception. Studies of 2010 census data show that households headed by single women have a poverty rate that is nearly three times the national average. Dallas is no exception – the poverty rate of single mothers throughout Texas is about the same as the national figure, even though the Texas economy is improving overall. The issue of supporting single mothers is not unfamiliar to a Dallas child support lawyer. Many single mothers continue to struggle to pay bills and provide for their families.
In Texas, child support is designed to ensure that a child receives adequate financial support from both parents. A custodial parent is responsible for the day to day care of a child, whether or not custody is shared with a non-custodial parent. Either parent may be court ordered to provide child support. The family court system enables each parent to provide for a child, depending on what they can afford.
Without child support, financial stability is hard to maintain, especially for single parents. Economic downturns take a hard toll on single parents. Lost jobs or decreased wages can create more instability, as parents become less and less able to afford childcare, improved education for themselves and their children and conveniences like reliable transportation. Without these, a single parent can find their budget continually stretched further and further.
Child support serves as a means to assist single parent families struggling to provide for their children. When it is properly paid, it can cover some of the expenses for education, medical care and basic necessities for children. Modification of child support is also possible to address a change in circumstances in a family’s finances. It can also be periodically reviewed so that payments reflect current living situations of custodial and non-custodial parents. In the midst of our difficult economy, Texas children need the best solutions, and in cases of single parent families, adequate child support can often help.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Figure show struggle worsening for single mothers,” Renee C. Lee, Sept. 5, 2012