Parents should not and in most cases do not submit to traditional agreements. The court have set up guidelines and regulations that are used to decided what should be done when adults decided to divorce. These guidelines have been deemed the “best for the children” and every state has adopted different ideas and guidelines regarding what “traditional child support agreements” are. These regulations are not considered traditional agreements but rather guidelines to be used as a starting point in any custody agreement due to all the changes that can be made based on the facts in any divorce case.
The thing with calling these guidelines traditional agreements is that there are too many deviations and changes that can be made to them to consider them traditional by any means. Take a mother that should have been paying $400.00 (the state minimum for non working adults $100 per month per child) in child support for four children each month was given a break and only had to pay $250.00 a month because her now ex-husband did not want to ask for the full amount. Was this traditional agreement, no, but it was thought of as a great gesture from the ex-husband so as not to make things harder on the mother. This change to the “traditional agreement” was allowed as each party agreed on it.
While years ago it was mothers that where receiving child support because they where automatically given custody of the children, thanks to equal rights that has all changed. Now everyone gets a say in what happens to the children especially when a parent is definitely unfit. Now child support is meant to be equal to all parties no matter your economics. If you bring a child into the world, than, you are financially responsible for that child till at least the age 18. That child does not know if you make minimum wage or a millionaire and it should not matter. Now if there is such a disparity where the custodial parent definitely does not need the money, then the money should go into activities for the child, collage fund or trust fund. However it does not change the fact that both parents are responsible for the care of the child they brought into the word for a minimum of 18 years.
Child support agreements are in no way traditional as there are way too many deviations and changes that can be made to them. Each divorce has its own challenges and requirements based on the facts of the case. Any person can get their child support changed based on life circumstances; however there is no free pass for any parent on child support. If they live with you or not you are still financially responsible for your children.