A father in Arizona is speaking out online about how child support and visitation rules have turned his life upside down. In a TikTok video, he admitted that he feels like a “deadbeat dad,” but not because he doesn’t want to be involved in his child’s life. Instead, he said the system makes it nearly impossible for him to keep up, arguing that money, not fairness, drives many of the decisions in family court.
The dad explained that he has to pay $1,750 in child support each month, along with $550 a week for supervised visits with his son. On top of that, he shared that he is living on a fixed disability income after a helicopter crash left him with major health issues, including short bowel syndrome. He added that the long drives to supervised visits, plus the cost of seeing his son, are simply too much for him to handle, especially since he also lost his home and other belongings during the process.
The 52-year-old father, who is twice divorced, said that many dads are unfairly treated in family court, where, in his view, money often takes priority over what’s best for the children. He argued that supervised visits like his are “illegal” and punish fathers who haven’t done anything to deserve them. According to him, the system has a built-in incentive to keep charging fathers more. When dads pay child support, both the courts and government profit, which means there is motivation to set the payments as high as possible. “Child support is incentivized,” he said, urging other fathers to keep fighting for their rights in court.
Here’s What Netizens Are Saying About the Arizona Dad’s Story
Viewers were split in their reactions. Some backed his claims, saying things like, “The family court system is corrupt,” and “All that stuff is a scam! They are just squeezing people for money.” Another netizen added, “Dads don’t get a fair deal.” Many also showed sympathy, with comments such as, “I am so sorry this happened to you!! It definitely sucks!!” and “Keep your head up brother. I feel for you.”
A few also shared their personal stories, like one person who said they knew someone forced to pay child support despite having joint custody. Another wrote, “100 dollars an hour to visit your child! Who does that money go to? I feel for you man the system is so broken when it comes to this.”
Not everyone agreed, though. One person said, “I would agree that the courts are unfair to the dads… but there’s no excuse to be a deadbeat dad.” Another reminded him, “Not paying child support does not stop you from seeing your child.”
