A child sits in a dark room and wishes for a better life, wishing to be someone else. He is deeply depressed and in pain. Her father was arrested and taken from her again. The father is unable to find a good job due to his past mistakes and is forced to do hard work. He cannot afford to support his children and himself, so he chooses his children and is forced to move from house to house. Today, he is homeless and rarely sees his children. This is just one of the few unknown side effects of strict enforcement of child support laws. Even though child support laws were created with good intentions and are in place to help divorcing parents provide for their children, there are many cases in which these laws cause more harm than good . Parents who are present and active in their children's lives should not be forced by law to pay child support. Child support has become a growing problem in America, but it existed long before the United States developed. The earliest known record of the idea of ​​child support dates back to the 17th century in England. The original purpose of child support was to ensure that parents who had either abandoned their children or divorced their spouses did not shirk their responsibilities to provide for their children financially. Child support laws did not exist in the United States as federal laws until 1935, when the federal government decided to implement welfare for children and families with absent parents or deceased. Child support laws were not actively enforced until 1949, when New York noticed that too many fathers were abandoning their families and refusing to pay child support. As a result, this large group of unpaid fat...... middle of paper ...... is going to serious emotional and mental stress. There are, however, many cases in which harsh child support enforcement was more than necessary. However, in these cases the father has normally abandoned his children and refuses to assume his responsibilities as a parent. Works Cited Cashmore, Judy and Patrick Parkinson. “Children's Participation in Family Law Disputes: Perspectives of Children, Parents, Lawyers, and Counselors.” » Family Matters 82 (2009): 15-21. Academic research completed. Internet. March 10, 2014. Cassity, Judith. The maintenance obligation of parents. Canada: Heath and Company, 1983. Print. DuCanto, Joseph N. "Delinquent Child Support -- Making A Federal Case." American Journal of Family Law 27.2 (2013): 138-142. Academic research completed. Internet. March 10, 2014. Lieberman, Joseph I. Child Support in America. Yale University, 1986. Print