Can I still visit my kids if I am short on child support?

by Paul Quimby
(Ponca City, OK.)

My Ex-wife moved to Austin Tx with our two kids. I had not seen my kids in almost two years. At the time my ex was married to another man and I had tried to call my kids but never got a call back.

This went on for approx. 4 months with no response. I have been talking to my kids again for about a year now via phone. My ex and I decided to be civil with each other. She has pushed the subject of me traveling to Austin to see the kids. It has been finacially hard on me and my family, due to the fact I went 9 months w/out a job. My ex agreed at that time I didn't have to pay childsupport. Anyway, my wife and I decided that it was time for me to sacrifice and just do it. My ex agreed to meet me in Dallas in September 10' then a week before that she cancelled with me.

Then the last of October I had planned to go on the 26th. My ex wanted me to stay the night and see the kids off the next day then we ended up in a fight, cause I was short on childsupport, due to my truck breaking down. So staying the night was not going to happen. I was going to travel 8 hrs to Austin to see my kids.

See them when they got home from school then leave after they went to bed. I was prepared to travel all that way to see them for 3 - 4 hrs. Though I was NOT in any finacially situation to do so. I was putting off bills and 1/2 my childsupport payment to do this cause my ex was shoving it down my throat. The day before the trip she called and asked me when I would get there and when I was leaving. I told her that I what time I would be there and that I would not be staying the night cause I did not have the money for a motel and I was not staying the night with her.

She totally went off on me and stated that "3 or 4 hrs. was not long enough of a visit and that if I couldn't spend more time with them or pay the full childsupport not to come and if I did make the trip they would not be there. I have not talked to them since then.

I know that they were in the process of moving and she will not give me the new address. I have put up with my ex's stuff for too long. She has total control and I can't win no matter what I do. What can I do to keep her from just keeping me from seeing my kids. I sure can give you more detail than this. There has been many years of this.