Yeah, really.
My oldest daughter's father has never been in a position to pay child support. The poor guy has been making $10 an hour or less (and I mean MUCH less sometimes-when she was a baby in 93, he made $5/hr) and trying to keep his own head above water for years...I never pursued child support, and never expected it. Sometimes it was all he could do to find bus fare to visit her once a month or so. I got state insurance for my daughter for a couple years and now the state is going after him and acting like he's a criminal. It's ridiculous.
On the other hand, my ex husband is a total deadbeat. He works on the same midway as me and I can't even get him to pay the babysitter every other week without a huge scene. He's not on paper as owing, but he sucks..I understand not having it during the winter, but hello? we're open. it comes to $160 each a month and I've been paying the whole $320.
So owing child support AS DETERMINED BY THE STATE doesn't make you a deadbeat...being a deadbeat makes you a deadbeat...