Spending money on SL instead of child support?

ok splain this one to me.

As an attorney, I have had a family law practice for years and have handled an incredible number of divorce, custody and child support matters. Over my past 2 years plus in SL, several SL members whom I have befriended have consulted me for advice concerning their child support problems and I have heard still others complaining about their problems.

The complaints seem to generally fall into two categories. First is the custodial parent, usually the mother, who complains that she cannot support her kid/kids because their father is not paying the court ordered support.

The other complaint I hear is from the noncustodial parent, usually the father, who complains that he cannot pay the support because its too steep and he cannot meet his own bills if he were to pay.

So, now, the question in my mind each time I hear this is, why are you wasting money on SL and broadband internet? Why are you wasting time playing SL instead of using that time to work at a job to make money to support your kids?

One member was complaining about not being able to pay his support because the order was too high; he could not afford it. Yet there he was, paying the tier for his land monthly, plus the monthly cost of broadband, as well as devoting time to trying to be a "big shot" in SL when in reality he was a deadbeat dad who should be using that time working to support his kids! Another mom I know who complains she cannot afford to pay her bills because the childs father doesnt pay support, forks out money to play WOW as well as pay for internet and SL.

Is the court order too high? Then why not pay what you can afford, pay something to support your kids even if its a partial payment. Use the time you spend in SL and WOW and other games to get a job, a second one if you must, to support your kids.

You chose to make these babies, why push the responsibility for their support onto the government which is funded by other working parents who have their own kids to support.

SL members who dont pay support, or complain they cant pay their bills because they dont get support; why are you wasting time and money playing online games and paying for broadband? If you are one, please explain this to me because I just dont get it.

This is going to be delicious.

You are generous, kiwi, to offer such ripe drama on today of all days.

Strap yourselves in, Forum Friends!

I think its just best to sit back and let the free market settle this issue. The invisible economic hand will determine the highest utility and equitable outcome.

Why isn't there a Yes/No poll?

Why does this seem like a thinly veiled attack against a certain person, given the fact that you started a thread pretty recently on the same topic about one person's comments about child support?

Oh NO you DIDN'T!!!









/sits on the couch and waits for the microwave to finish her popcorn.

No offense, but...

No, strike that. I'm not really concerned with it.

Given a recent post of yours, this post is offensive on the face of it.

Nobody owes you any explanation for their real-world behavior, no matter how questionable you may find it, and to call them out here in the public forums it tactless. Take it up with them in world if you must.

I want to know as an attorney, why do you use a word like "splain"? Also, you made several paragraphs using the same statements over and and over again.

As for most, I don't think the money anyone spends on SL would make that much of a difference.

What I don't get is why people still have children. I never thought it was a good idea. There are so many ways to prevent them in the first place, why even get in that situation?

Or you could allow that starting a separate thread after an interval of time and addressing her question to both sides of the issue is an appropriate way to make it not about one person. Is Kati posing questions that are innapropriate to ask in your mind?

Why are you pushing it to be about someone in particular? Not enough drahma in the Suicide Girl thread for you?

I wouldn't even call it thinly veiled.

The phrase 'Mind your own damned business' springs forth after reading the OP.

i've kind of wondered this myself. I've seen guys with $300 car payments, but can't seem to pay $200 for child support.

Uhmm...buy a '72 Rambler, pay your child support and have $100 leftover!

Seems to me that she didn't start another thread about this ... her post was moved from an existing thread in order to create a new thread (not by her choice) if I remember correctly.

I recall that her initial post on the matter was to express amazement over someone revealing this information about himself in the forum. No one was exposed, the person revealed his own business. Why it is rude to ask questions on information freely brought forth?

Here's my opinion: It's none of my damn business.

Hot damn and we agree yet again! You're scaring me Chip

*sighs and shakes her head with sadness and disappointment*

I think i am confused on how that posting went ... I was under the impression that she originally posted that as a reply in another thread and it was moved into a new thread by the moderator so that it could be addressed by him? I still am not sure after going back and reading that part again where the mod talked about moving the posts around.

Anyhoo, I think that topic was talked to bits then.

Wow! When I mentioned in the "Suicide Girl's" thread that I couldn't find a topic I could care less about, I didn't think anyone would take that as a challenge to come up with an even more inane topic.

color me impressed!

This thread appears to be a personal matter which might be better addressed with an PM/IM or in-world conversation and as such I'm going to close it. I'd like to remind everyone that the forums are a public area for the Second Life community’s use. Individuals who have a dispute with each other have other channels of communication to discuss their differences or communicate – private messaging, IM within Second Life, or chatting within Second Life.