What Reba and others are saying is this:
The father (or mother) doesn't HAVE to be around the kid.. they don't have to live in the same town or even the same state or interact with the kid when they are paying child support. What matters is that the parent is providing FINANCIAL means to support the child. Money is impersonal and doesn't matter to how the kid lives his life. Boneheaded people refuse to pay based on principle, spite, ignorance whatever so courts order garnishment of whatever income they have (I'm not sure if they are allowed to attach to stocks/bonds or other income if the parent has it). Garnishing is done by others with no control by the parent.
As others keep saying "being involved/present in the child's live" and "providing financial support" are two separate things.
One is not dependent on the other.
