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Asked 4 months ago - Ennis, TX
FlagMy father passed away in 2006, when I was 10. I'm now 17. I thought my mother was supposed to hold some of the money back into a bank account for my first car, expenses, etc. The check came in the my name, so can the parent use it for bills, gas money, etc. What if none of it is used on the child? My checks stopped when I turned 16.
This is a very common misunderstanding of children in both benefits and child support cases. Payments for children are intended for the current support of the children, and not necessarily "things" for the child. Statistics have shown consistently that the cost of supporting a child is far greater than even most parents appreciate. It's not just clothing and food and medical care for the child. It is higher rent so the child has a bedroom, and a larger car-- everything from more laundry soap to more frequent replacement of the washer, dryer, and vacuum cleaner. In fact, very few goods and services purchased by a family cost the same for a family with a child as it costs a couple. There is no requirement in the Social Security system that your mother save any of your benefits for future needs. (And if she was transporting you in the family car, why shouldn't your benefits have help buy the gas?) "What if none of it is used on the child?" Unless you were homeless and starved, it was "used on" you.
Best wishes for an outcome you can accept, and please remember to designate a best answer.
It sounds like the money was used almost exclusively on you, if you had food/shelter/clothes and an occasional trip to McDonalds. If you were actually naked, cold and hungry in Ennis, then you still developed priceless survival skills that will help you for the rest of your life. Either way, if Mom did not eat/beat/mistreat you, your glass is definitely half-full. I am pretty sure that she did the best she could under adverse circumstances. Even if you think that you could have done better, forgive her. She is the only Mom you have, and she would probably take a bullet for you if the opportunity arose.
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