Not fair that state enforce my child support, what about me seeing kids

Q) I’m the noncustodial parent. I love my kids. I pay my child support. About half the time when I go to pick them up for my weekend, my ex-wife has made other plans for them. It’s not fair that the state will enforce my child support obligation but not do anything about my right to see my kids.

A) As a noncustodial parent, you have the right to reasonable visitation with your children, unless the court has found that visitation would not be in their best interests. If your ex-wife is not complying with the visitation schedule established by the court, you can seek enforcement of your visitation rights through the court system. In many cases, the court will view visitation and child support as separate issues, and will not allow one parent to withhold visitation because the other parent is behind on child support payments. You may want to consider speaking with an attorney or seeking assistance from a local family law facilitator or mediator to help you navigate this process.

NOTE: Many state or local governments have developed procedures for enforcing visitation orders. Also, the federal government has made funding available to states for developing model programs to ensure that children will be able to have the continuing care and emotional support of both parents. Check with your local child support agency and clerk of court to see what resources are available to you and to find out about laws that address custody. See a list of state Access and Visitation contacts.