Washington Shared Parenting

Yes, there is life after divorce.  And in most cases, its a great life.  Many times its the friends you meet after divorce that define what life will be like.  At WashingtonSharedParenting.com we have created a new board on our Forum that is for Single Parents.  It’s a great place to discuss single parenting issues, to announce a get together for singles, to announce a hike, or bike, or outing for others to get together.

Getting together with other single parents will help you not only begin to socialize after divorce, but with like minded people who will want to discuss some of the same topics that you do - kids, parenting, and sometimes divorce.

Give it a try, we need your participation if we are going to make this successful.

This story is both incredible to read, and incredible to believe.  Not only is it incredible that someone would pay a woman $100 to lie to the police to falsely state they witnessed domestic violence, it’s also incredible to hear the police actually did something about it.  Of course, it’s not hard to understand when the falsely accused was a police officer.

Regardless of that fact, this ex-wife reported to police that her ex-husband has taken a tape recorder away from her and knocked her down.  She even had a witness.  A witness she paid $100 to so she could get the testimony she required.  She met her as the woman was leaving the County Jail, where she was solicited 2 days after the incident occured.  HELLO!

The witness took the $100, but later told police she was being harassed to give false statements to police.  Ms Prigger was paying witnesses to get the results she needed in court, and they weren’t even witnesses.  This was all reported in the Everett Herald
Of course, Snohomish County let the woman out of jail on her own recognizance.  Another brilliant move by our Snohomish County Judges.  If this was a child support matter, she would be in jail, as DCS would be paying the expense for it.  SInce this is custody related, it will be a slap on the wrist.  Had it become domestic violence, the officer would be out of a job.  let’s see if real justice will be served in Snohomish County, or if she will be let out for good, and gain custody of the children she desperately should not be allowed to be around after this incident.

Just received an email from a Non-custodial parent in Washington State who has had liens placed on their family home.  Turns out the liens are not accurate!  And haven’t been for several years. 

On Saturday, we heard from a man that was complaining about credit agency information not being accurate for non-custodial parents.  And having proof to that affect. 

And, of course, we have our famous Geezer who dealt with similar issue when DCS refused to correct his credit agency information when it was inaccurate!

It’s time for Washington State’s Non-Custodial Parents to begin speaking as one voice, to bring about change.  Are we dealing with Civil Rights issues as defined in the 1983 Civil Rights Action, which is primarily excess force?  Is it excess force for a state agency to file inaccurate liens against someone for a Civil Debt.  And leave it there to harm the entire family.  Imagine the cost of a vehicle loan with lousy credit because of an inaccurate lien that shows you owe $10,000 when you owe $1,000 as an example.  Imagine when your credit report shows you owe $4,000 in back child support, when you owe $1,000 and you have already paid $120,000. 

Apparently, a letter has been sent to DCS Director Stillman and to Deputy Secretary of DSHS Troy Hudson asking that they work through these policy issues and resolve these problems.  It will be interesting to see how they respond.  Your emails to them, by clicking on their highlighted names would help.  Please be civil, since we are asking that they begin to act that way.  OH, and write your elected members of the legislature as well - make sure they are representing your interests.    Or, do nothing, it is working well for non-custodial parents who continue to be abused by this agency.

Is this what you want to see from your government agencies?  Or would you prefer that they treat it like a civil debt, and be civil about it?  Now is the time to speak your mind, and please share your experience with these agencies.  If you have been harmed by this agency by actions like this, please let us know at Info@washingtonsharedparenting.com.  It might be time for a group of families to get their justice from this state!

The internet has its share of urban legends that we all get caught up in from time to time.  It’s hard not to get caught up in them.  I’ve received emails over the past few months about a new Federal Constitutional Amendment for Parental Rights.  Of course being the great research person that I am, I didn’t research it, figuring it was just someone getting excited about some hyperbole and figuring that big changes were about to come to parental rights.

Well, it turns out that big changes are about to come, and they are not necessarily good for American Families.  It seems that our US Senate has plenty of momentum to pass the United Nations U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Now one would usually say that doing anything to protec children is the right thing to do.  And a famous Government leader once explained to his government that as long as the people perceived what was being done was for the good of the children, then the masses would follow.  Of course we now understand this line of thinking, as it was Adolph Hitler that stated it.  And, this U.N. treaty is not much different, as it allows the government to shift the burden of proof concerning our children to the parent, assuming we are all guilty, rather than keeping the burden on the State and assuming we are all guilty.

Unfortunately, our Supreme Court has been ruling against Parental Rights, after Centuries of supporting them.  This isn’t necessarily a shift in the courts, but a new understanding that if the rights aren’t explicitly named in the constitution, then the Supremes have no right to protect it.  SO, if it’s not in the constitution, then the Supreme Court is likely to rule against it, as they have been doing lately.

Enter the Honorable Representative Hoekstra of Michigan, a champion for Parental Rights who HAS written a Parental Rights Constitutional Amendment to give to this years Congress.  The Amendment ensures children are safe by having some protection for children that are proven to be abused, but it also protects the parents from unnecessary intervention by the Government.  Imagine, parents retain their right to raise their children as they see fit.

This is an important Amendment, and we need to pass it.  If we don’t, we risk the Senate’s passing of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child trampling on the rights of not only parents, but in most cases their very children.  Rep. Hoekstra has a great web site which explains the entire concept which we have provided a link to.  I looked at the site extensively tonight, and noticed one thing that really ruffled my feathers.  Not one Representative from Washington elected members of the US House have signed onto the bill.  Not one.

Are we going to allow this to continue, or are we going to begin writing our elected officials and ask that they signup as co-sponsors of this important Amendment?  Follow this link to a website where you can send an email to your U.S. Representative, ask them to speak to Representative Hoekstra, ask them to co-sponsor this bill and sign up in support of it.  You might just be protecting your children and grandchildren in the process.

Do your children refuse to see you since you and your ex separated? When you actually get to see your kid(s), do they lash out at you? Do they know things about your break up or divorce that they shouldn’t know? Do they “diagnose” or berate you by using adult terms and expressions that are beyond their years?

If so, you’re probably experiencing the effects of parental alienation or hostile aggressive parenting. It’s normal to have hard feelings at the end of a significant relationship, however, you have a choice about how you handle it.

Most cases of parental alienation occur in dissolved marriages/relationships, break ups, and divorces in which there’s a high degree of conflict, emotional abuse, and/or mental illness or personality disorders.

If you were emotionally abused by your ex while you were still together, then your kid(s) learned some powerful lessons about relationships, especially if you had a “no talk” policy about the rages, yelling, and verbal attacks. Children are adversely affected by witnessing constant conflict and emotional abuse, no matter their age.

Emotionally abusive women and men are scary when on the attack, which probably makes it all the more confusing to see your ex turn your child(ren) against you. Don’t your kids see how out of whack their mom or dad is being? Don’t they know that you love them and how much you want to be in their lives? Don’t they realize they need you now more than ever? Yes and no.

On some level, they do know this. Nonetheless, they’re lashing out at you like mini-versions of your ex. Why?

It’s not that confusing if you think about it from a child’s perspective. Children depend utterly upon their custodial parent. Seeing mom or dad lose it and out of control is anxiety provoking, if not downright terrifying. The following are possible reasons why your ex’s campaign of parental alienation may be successful.

1) You left them alone with the crazy person. You got out and they didn’t. They’re mad that you’re not there anymore to intervene, buffer, protect, or take the brunt of it.

2) Self-preservation. They see how your ex is treating you because she or he is angry with you. Your kid(s) don’t want your ex’s wrath directed at them. It’s like siding with the bully at school so they don’t beat the crap out of you.

3) Fear of loss. If they make your ex mad they worry that they’ll be emotionally and/or physically banished, too. This is especially true if your ex used to shut you out, give you the cold shoulder, and/or ignore you when she or he was upset with you. Your kids probably fear your ex will do this to them if they don’t go along with him or her.

4) They’re mad at you. You’re no longer physically present at home, which they experience as psychological loss. Many kids experience this as betrayal and/or abandonment. Even if they can recognize that you didn’t have a happy marriage, they still want mom and dad to be together.

Loss, whether it’s physical (death) or psychological (divorce), requires a mourning period. Children aren’t psychologically equipped to handle grief and mourning. Pending other developmental milestones, kids don’t have the psychological capacity to successfully navigate loss until mid-adolescence. If you’d died, they could idealize your memory. However, you’re alive and chose to leave (or your ex chose for you). How do you mourn the loss of someone who’s not dead? It takes a level of intellectual sophistication children don’t possess not to vilify the physically absent parent—especially when your ex isn’t capable of it as an adult.

5) Rewards and punishment. Your ex “rewards” the kids (material goods, praise, trips and fun activities—probably with your support money—oh the irony) for siding with her or him, being cruel to you, or cutting you off. If your kid(s) stand up for you or challenge your ex’s smear campaign, they’re chastised, lose privileges, or have affection withheld from them. Remember how your ex used to treat you when she or he was displeased? It’s way scarier when you’re a kid. You have options as an adult that your children don’t.

6) The good son or daughter. They see how upset and out of control your ex is and want to take care of and make her or him “better.” They try to do this by doing what your ex wants, which is being hostile toward you and/or excluding you from their lives. This creates what psychologists refer to as the parentified child. Parentification forces a child to shoulder emotions and responsibilities for which she or he isn’t developmentally prepared.

Emotional parentification is particularly destructive for children and frequently occurs in parental alienation cases. The custodial parent implicitly or explicitly dumps their emotional needs on the child. The child becomes the parent’s confidante, champion/hero and surrogate for an adult partner. This is extremely unhealthy as it robs these kids of their childhood and leads to difficulty in having normal adult relationships later in life.

7) Power and control. They see the power your ex wields by behaving in an abusive and hurtful way toward you. They can wield the same power by acting out and hurting you, too. A child or teenager’s first taste of power can be thrilling for them. Of course, what they’re learning from you ex is how to gain control by being an emotionally abusive bully.

8) It’s good to be the victim. The more your ex plays the professional victim to friends, family and the legal system, the more benefits she or he gains—deferential treatment, sympathy, power, and money. The kids pick up on this victim mentality and behaviors and use it to net their own gains.

A combination of the above reasons probably applies to your child(ren) siding with your ex, particularly when you’ve been a good and loving parent. It’s demoralizing to have your kid(s) slap or push you away each time you reach out to them. It’s maddening that family court, in many cases, is blind to the abuses of parental alienation. Try to keep in mind that most children aren’t consciously aware that the above phenomena are occurring. Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier to be the emotional and financial punching bag for your ex and children.

By: Dr T

A Shrink for Men
Photo credit:

How do you reach a child who has been brainwashed? by halgil on flickr.

I like to look at the search terms that people use to find our site.  I find it entertaining in that it gives me an insight as to what others are thinking or doing in their own world.  Sometimes it scares me when I see what I see.  Take this search question given to Google by a mother in Kirkland - “how can i get my childs fathers rights taken away in everett,wa”.  Now this Clearwire customer in Kirkland at 75.92.227.# has some serious issue from what I have just read.  One question - why would anyone want to remove a parent from the life of a child.  Why?

And further more, what god given right do they have to do it in the first place.  The nice surprise was this person found our story “Washington Passes SB5470 into law“, which just told her that shared parenting can no longer be granted because one selfish person in Kirkland Washington is scorned and wants to punish another person by removing the rights of another person.  Yep, one parent can no longer put the skids on shared parenting in a case as they once could before the passage of SB5470.  The visit to us ended with a visit to our 22,000 email addresses at Washington Department of Social and Health Service.  Now lets hope she left a juicy morsel at DSHS that this father can discover from his case comments.

BTW - Have you gotten a copy of your case comments recently?  It’s easy and necessary.  Send an email to your case worker - notice - Email, not a phone call.  You want documentation.  Request your case comments, either all of them, or the newest since your last request.  If you need their email address, look it up on our DSHS database. The notes give you a view into your case that you may not be aware of.  And keep using that email address.  I can’t think of a positive outcome anyone will get from calling these people over emailing them.

Did we educate someone?  We hope so.  Did we change their mind - in the true “best interest of the child”, we hope so.

Geez, our email has been flooded this week with people sick and tired of us having to depend on two people in Olympia - Jim Hargrove and Jamie Pedersen, the two chief destructors of any attempt to get a shared parenting law in our state.  The call is for an initiative by the people!  Tim Eyman style!

We’ve opened a new discussion section on the forum at http://washingtonsharedparenting.com/smf to discuss it.  Please consider joining in and get this conversation rolling.  The anger these two men have created is boiling and needs to vent - let’s use the steam to power something to benefit our children.

Are you and your ex going through a difficult divorce or break up? Do you worry that she or he is turning your child(ren) against you? Are you shocked and confused by how your once warm and affectionate relationship with your kid(s) has become distant and hostile?

Parental alienation is no joke. It’s a form of child abuse. The custodial parent is usually the mother and it’s typically the custodial parent who engages in parental alienation. However, there are men who also engage in parental alienation.

Original research found women to be the perpetrators of this abusive behavior in 90% of reported cases. Recent research indicates both genders equally engage in parental alienation. It’s difficult to know the exact figures due to under reporting, false accusations, and the positive bias toward mothers in most family courts.

Profile of Parental Alienation

Individuals who engage in parental alienation are like the mean kids in high school who demand that all  their friends be angry with whomever they’re angry with and hate whomever they hates. In children, this phenomenon is called relational aggression. Now she or he is a parent. They’re mad because your relationship ended—even if they’re the one who initiated the break-up.

Parents who alienate require, implicitly or explicitly, that their child(ren) feel and act the same way they do. They enlist your children to take on their battle against you. This is not the act of a responsible, mature adult, much less a responsible, loving parent. This is a bullying behavior called mobbing.

Bullying, Mobbing and Parental Alienation

Mobbing is usually written about in the context of workplace bullying, but that’s a limited use of the concept. It can occur in any kind of system, including a family system. Mobbing is the impassioned psychological harassment of one individual by a group. The attack is usually instigated and led by one or two people who are typically in a position of authority or a peer leader. The International Herald Tribune describes it as “group victimization of a single target” with the goal of demeaning, discrediting, alienating, excluding, humiliating, and isolating the targeted individual.

Mobbing ringleaders are bullies who try to dominate and control others in most situations and relationships. Namie and Namie (2000) describe them as, “inadequate, defective, and poorly developed people.” They’re generally angry, unpredictable, critical, jealous, and manipulative (Davenport, Schwartz and Elliot, 1999; Namie and Namie, 2000). The emotionally abusive bully who engages in mobbing (or parental alienation) revels in the excitement produced by their animosity. It produces a pleasurable buzz or rush in them. Westhues (2002) refers to this as “the euphoria of collective attack.” Sound familiar?

Parental Alienation and Personality Disorders

People that have no compunction about using their kids to hurt their exes seem to fit the profile of the emotionally abusive Cluster B personality disorders (Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder). These individuals play the professional victim as they emotionally bully anyone who confronts, challenges, or criticizes them. They don’t recognize appropriate boundaries, won’t accept personal responsibility for their actions—in fact, they blame you for the horrible things they do and always have an excuse to justify their indefensible behaviors.

If your ex is actively or passively alienating your child(ren)’s normal affection toward you, he or she was probably emotionally abusive while you were together. Parental alienation is her or his way of continuing to abuse and hurt you via remote access. Generally, most bullies don’t see themselves as such. If you confront your ex about this behavior, they’ll deny it and blame you for your deteriorating relationship with your child(ren), even as you make every effort to be a present and involved parent.

The only way to stop a bully is with the threat of a greater authority. Appealing to their “better nature” is futile. Emotionally abusive bullies don’t have a better nature. Attorneys and the courts will probably need to be involved as well as an UNBIASED children’s therapist and a lot of documentation. If you believe you’re the target of parental alienation, I encourage you to educate yourself about it and to know, protect and fight for your rights.

By Dr T

A Shrink for Men

Photo credit: Justice is Blind (Family Court Follies) by Professional Recreationalist on flickr.

Interesting that when you look at the numbers provided by Washington State that show the breakdown of custody, some obvious facts jump out at you.  Senator Hargrove has asked for more data to see if the Judges are following the changes in Washington’s child custody laws in 2007.  It’s apparent that some courts get it, while others completely ignore it.

A while back we wrote a story about testimony to the House Judiciary Committee by a State Senator who stated that a Pierce County Judge had told him “we only do every other weekend in our county, thats all we do”.  Well the data supports that statement because it shows that Pierce county only gave shared custody in 16% of their cases! A lousy 16%!  That means their courts only feel that 16 out of 100 parents is good enough to be a 50/50 co-parent.  I hope I never get that many lousy friends, where only 16/100 are good enought to have shared custody of their children.

However, lets look at the brighter side, Franklin County was worse, with nobody getting shared custody.  And it was followed by Walla Walla County which only gave shared parenting 7% of the time.

Contrast to Benton and Lewis County that gave 50/50 shared parenting in  27% of their cases.  27%!  Of course, their divorces only accounted for 3% of the cases reported in the report, so it has little effect on Washington families.  It does beg the question, why the disparity with judges.  King County, the largest only gives shared parenting to 23% of their cases. 

It’s about time that Washington’s State Supreme Court got it figured out and got it’s court following the laws of Washington State that says a custody dispute is to be resolved in the best interest of children.  In many counties that is happening.   Senator Hargrove - nuff’ said?  Representative Pedersen - you have extended thousands more children to have lousy outcomes in Washington State - something we should all be proud of!

Here is a ranking of the courts from the data provided by the State of Washington which reflects the percentagie of divorce that ended with 50/50 shared parenting.

1. 0%  Franklin County    Worst in Supporting Families
2. 7%  Walla Walla County
3. 9%  Snohomish County
4. 11% Kitsap and Island County
5. 12% Yakima County
6. 14% Skagit and Mason County
7. 16% Pierce and Grant County
8. 18% Spokane County
9. 20% Thurston County
10. 21% Adams County
11. 23% King and Clark County
12. 25% Lincoln County
13. 27% Lewis and Benton County      BEST in Supporting Families

The legislature still doesn’t get it.  Jamie Pederson, the chair of the Washington State Judiciary Committee doesn’t support shared parenting.  In fact, he states that until the Washington Women’s Law Group supports it, it’s dead.  I don’t understand this - Women are documented as getting custody 68 percent of the time, and until this radical women’s law group supports taking that away from the women they serve, he won’t let this bill go to the committee he resides over?

Maybe he hasn’t caught the news lately.  In Auburn, Elizabeth Beeman was recently arrested in a hotel room trying to hire a King County detective to be a hitman to kill her ex-husband over a child custody dispute.  KILL!  Check out the video on King 5

A presumption of 50/50 shared parenting would solve these fights.  Ensuring kids have access to both parents, and removing the issue of fighting for custody.  Make it the norm.

Recently released data from Washington’s Administration of the Courts only verifies that the courts continue to support bias.  68% custody to mothers, 16% custody to fathers.  The question is this - Does Jamie Pedersen report to the courts, or the people that elect him.  His actions speak clearly - he works for the courts, and the women’s rights groups.  How does someone who fights so hard to end bias in his district, ignore the extreme bias in the courts.  One word - HYPOCRITE.

Here is the data from the AOC that shows the continued bias in courts.

If you are a non-custodial parent, and you don’t want these beatings to continue, please sign the shared parenting petition at http://petition.washingtonsharedparenting.com

There is no mistake about it - you are the key to unlocking the custody battle and getting shared parenting legislation passed in our state.   We need your help in getting the job done!

Five members of Washington States House have submitted a new shared parenting bill for families of Washington State.  House Bill HB1982 is the culmination of many years of work at refining and adjusting a shared parenting bill that will have broad acceptance to members of Washington’s House and Senate.  Even if it is a great bill, there is hard work still required to pass this bill, as several strong opponents in Washington’s legislature are against it.  We count three today that are against it specifically.  Imagine, three hard core members of the legislature will work to try and keep this from passing by applying their pressure to other members of the legislature.  The question is this - will your elected official cave in to pressure from you and your neighbors and family who need to write and call them, or will they cave in to these three members of the legislature that are vehemently opposed to this great change in Washington Families.

You can write to your elected officials in Olympia with an email addressed to lastname.firstname@leg.wa.gov.  For example, to send a thank you to Representative Wallace you would address it to wallace.deb@leg.wa.gov.  Please do consider sending thank you letters, calls or emails to Representatives Wallace, Roach, Rodne, Hurst, Blake and Kessler.  Please CC your own district elected officials and ask for their full support of this important bill. 

Please also consider forwarding a copy of your email to your friends and relatives and ask that they send it to their elected officials.

 We are at a crossroads in Washington State.  We need a positive decision from the Legislature, and we need them to vote for what a majority of Parents in Washington are asking for - Shared Parenting!  We need thousands of letters to be sent in the coming weeks if we are to be successful.  Please consider being a part of this history making legislation for Washington’s chidlren.

The Washington State Office of Families and Children Ombudsman has stated there was a “higher percentage of agency violations in 2008 than in any previous year.”  Should we feel surprised by an agency that is the largest in our State, is the most out of control, and operating under their own rules and influence of the judiciary?  Let’s face it, they fund a large part of the courts with direct re-imbursement of Judges time overseeing hearings for DSHS.  Should we expect something different?

Is this not a sign that our State of Washington is out of control when the largest department in the State receives a report of this type?  They are getting bigger and badder.  No question about it, as reported by their own Ombudsman.

It’s time for Washington State Citizens, and their elected officials, to get behind reform that is to be proposed in this years legislature to reel them in.  It’s time for Senator James Hargrove to stop standing in front of real change to this agency, to embrace what the real people of Washington are seeking, and not what his small contingent of special interest groups are calling for, and get this agency to start protecting the children and families of Washington.

Read the story in the Seattle Times.   Read the full report of the Washington Ombudsman for Children and Families here!

We’ve all heard the stories about abuse of children and families.  What are you doing about it?  It’s really up to you!  Tell us in our comments how you are making changes in Washington.  Help others get involved.

 BTW, if you have a complaint against this agency, there couldn’t be a better time than now to report it.  Let’s lay it on while they have the attention of the legislature and the press.  Report yours today.

A shared Parenting bill will again be introduced to Washington’s Legislature in 2009.  It’s time for all of us to rally around this new bill to ensure it passes in 2009.  The bill has not been released or published, so we can’t share it with you yet, but will as soon as it is available.

We’ve all heard the tales from victims of Washington’s Family Law and Family Courts.  Next time you tell your story to someone, ask yourself one simple question - “WHAT HAVE I DONE TO CHANGE IT?”  It’s pretty simple, what have you done.  Have you campaigned to your local elected official, lobbied in Olympia, handed out brochures at the courthouse, written a blog story, email friends and asked them to help out by signing the petition, or calling your local elected officials?  Have you done anything?

It’s okay, your not alone.  There are several hundred non-custodial parents that have done just the same.  I’m asking you to leave their ranks, and join the ranks of those that are working to make a difference.  The next 105 days of the legislature can make the difference in the life of your children.  If we pass this bill and get it passed into law.

You are the difference between success and failure - you alone.  We need you as much as your children need you, for you are the key to change their outcome in life.

On Tuesday, The Other Parent (TOP) will hold their first meeting of 2009.  Please plan on attending in person or via their conference bridge so you can become involved in some way in making a difference.  TOP’s meeting information is below:

The Other Parent Monthly Meeting - Third Tuesday of every month - 6pm to 7:30pm.
 

Families First Building
13470 Martin Luther King Way S.
Seattle WA 98178

206-772-5995

Participation via Conference: 
888-210-4729  OR 303-632-3082

passcode  4026387  
 

TO JOIN A CONFERENCE
1.     Dial the Conference Bridge  
2.     Enter Access Code # 4026387#  
Quick Tip - hit # to bypass announcements  

 
BTW, Families First is a non-profit dedicated to providing low cost supervised visitation services.  IF you have a need, please contact them to use their services, or tell friends in need.  If you can, contributions to this important organization are always welcome.  They provide a vital service to our community.

A citizen’s dissent of the Washington State Child Support Work Group’s report to the legislature was delivered today to DCS Director David Stillman.  Stillman was the chairperson for the Work Group’s ill conceived report to the legilature.  We’ve reported several times about the issues with the workgroup that struggled for the past year to develop non-biased decisions.  Of course, their report to the legislature, altough it does have a few things that will benefit children of Washington, it primarily reflects decisions based on Dr. David Betson’s flawed reports, extreme bias by members of the Washington State Bar Association as they try to protect their perceived financial turf, Commissioners and Judges who are compensated directly by DCS, and of court the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorney’s and their prosecutors.

The Dissent document was written primarily by Mark Mahnkey of the Washington Civil Rights Council.  Mark did an outstanding job identifying some of the larger issues with the CSWG report.  Of course their report will be picked up by the legislature if you don’t write your elected officials and ask that they reject the report.  One of the biggest highlights of the reports was an increase in Child Support that could amount to 40%-100% depending on the income of the parents.  Today, child support which is to cover the basic needs of the child has a table that supports incomes up to $7,000 a month.  The committee is asking it to be raised to $12,000 and wanted it to be over $20,0000!

 Another key change is to limit child support to being up to 45% of a person’s pay, but to have medical expenses and daycare on top of that, which could conceivably raise the amount to up to 60-70% of a persons net income.  Imagine being home 30 cents on the dollar, after paying taxes, child support and daycare.

One large bone of contention is residential credit.  With residential credit, both parents share in the burden to support the child, but the burden is also split by the number of days the child is at each home, truly creating an equitable solution in the best interest of children at both homes.

there is a movie that has been under development for several years by the name Support!  System down!  From all accounts its a great film that shows how the cours abuse divorcing parents, how the best interest of the children is rarely used in custody disputes, and how families in America are destroyed.  The film is close to being released, however, they need our support - in funding its release.

Please take a minute to look at this trailer for the film.  Others can be seen on their website at http://supporthemovies.com

Question - would you make a contribution to a film of this type with donation of $10-50?  Would you attend a preview of the film for a fee at a local Seattle theatre for a reasonable fee?  Please comment below, this is one small way we can all make a difference by helping in the release of this film.