Have you been trying unsuccessfully to get a deadbeat parent to pay the child support he owes? If so, then you know that each court date takes an emotional toll. This debilitation can often become a physical drain as well. The cost of chasing a deadbeat is paid in more than money.

While you need to do all you can to get support for your children, you must also temper your efforts with an attitude of peace and acceptance. If you have done all you can, exhausting every avenue, it may be time to let go. At such a point you must use that energy to accent the positives in your life. You may find that the time spent on pursuit is better spent on furthering yourself and your career.

That’s not to say that you should ever let a deadbeat ex off the hook. But you can’t allow the battle to destroy you either. I have learned all of this the hard way. Though my ex-husband now pays his child support, I have come to see that I will always have to be the chief breadwinner for my family. I realize now that ultimately the only person I can rely on is myself. With that in mind, I work on my career and focus on improving myself. That way I will always be able to provide the income that my kids need and deserve.