Now What the Heck Am I Gonna Do with $2.46?

My jaw dropped when I viewed the last child support payment posted to my online account. All I could think is, "Have you no shame?" What can I do with $2.46?! What is our 13-year-old daughter going to get with less than three dollars? That's not even enough for chicken nuggets, fries and a small drink off the Wendy's 99 cents value menu! Did I fail to mention that was eight months ago with nothing since?

Don't get me wrong, he's not in a slump or experiencing a new financial hardship to which I am being insensitive. This is not unusual for our situation. In fact, this is actually pretty common, and I am fed up! Once the account was credited for eighty-six cents, I believe it was. That time, all I could think is it probably cost more to directly deposit those coins than what they amounted.

We have been battling since she was two years old, in and out of the child support division of the Domestic Relations Court system. It has been exhausting and incredibly frustrating. How can you convince a parent that their child needs something every breath taken? Why should you have to? Sometimes I feel like pinning a sign to her, stating, "I live, therefore I need...", but it wouldn't matter. He'd just assume I must have money if I could waste it on a sign that he'd miss the point to anyway.

My daughter's father is a serial hiree, meaning he has been hired multiple times and has either been canned or has voluntarily left. Now, you may wonder what's the difference between him and any other person looking for their niche? The difference is his unemployed state seems to re-occur conveniently once his wages are attached. Hmmmm.

The current order is less than $15 per week. Did you catch that? The current ordered amount for my daughter's monthly needs is less than $60 per month, and neither she nor I see any of it.

This is not due to my enormous income. It has nothing to do with his inability to work (strong like bull), or his educational level (Master's degree). It is due to his sporadic and part time work. My goal is to make his non-contribution a background factor in my mind. Instead of dwelling and harboring ill feelings because I can only afford the things she needs and rarely the things she wants. My focus is on increasing my earning potential because prom, college, dorms, apartments, cars and so much more will bring pleading words to my ears.

Because the court ordered financial support is for our child, I will not relent, just not hope, expect or anticipate a change in the man or his behavior. There will be no far-fetched fantasies from me. Unfortunately, as she grows and matures, she has determined the source to refer all requests monetary is anyone but daddy. From him, she never expects Christmas presents, birthday gifts, pocket money or even candy sale contributions for school fundraisers. He has robbed her of every little girls' birthright to being "daddy's little girl".

I know that money isn't everything, but just about everything we need to survive, requires some. A person's worth should not be judged by the amount of money they have, but when you are viewed as not worth any, than how you begin to value yourself can be affected. I can't help but to worry how it is affecting her.