Father’s Day in America: The Fathers Family Court Forgot By G. Siffort | Staff Writer On Father’s Day, America celebrates dads with cards, cookouts, and family photos. But for countless fathers, the day feels more like a funeral than a celebration. They aren’t absent by choice. They’re fathers caught in a system they say values their paycheck more than their presence. Under the federal Title IV-D child support program, billions of dollars are collected each year to enforce support orders. Supporters argue the system protects children and ensures financial responsibility. Critics argue it has created an industry where fathers are often viewed as sources of revenue rather than parents. Across the country, fathers tell stories of wage garnishments, suspended licenses, mounting arrears, and expensive court battles that leave them financially exhausted. Many say they walked into family court asking for time with their children and walked out with a payment order. Some haven’t hugged their children in months. Others haven’t seen them in years. Yet every month, the payments continue. The pain isn’t always financial. It’s missing birthdays. Missing graduations. Missing the small moments that make fatherhood matter. While every case is different, a growing movement of fathers is asking a question few politicians seem willing to answer: If children benefit from having both parents in their lives, why do so many fathers feel pushed to the sidelines? This Father’s Day, while families gather around dinner tables, thousands of fathers will sit alone staring at old photographs and wondering how a relationship became a transaction. Because for many of them, the hardest part isn’t writing the check. It’s realizing that no amount of money can replace being Dad. What do you think: Is the child support system protecting children, or has it turned fatherhood into a financial obligation instead of a relationship?