Not always true. They side with whoever is in the child's best interest. My daughter has been with me ever since she was 3 weeks old. (She's 9 now). Her mother walked away. Courts of course since her mother and I were not married at the time of birth, started taking child support out of my checks. I fought it and it went on for a year or so. She wouldn't show up to court. So the courts would take the money and put it in an escrow. Eventually the judge threatened to arrest her if she didn't show up so she finally did. Admitted that my motion for relief was true. That I had our daughter full time, had her covered on my health insurance, and my ex had NOTHING to do with her. Judge returned all the money they had taken from me and closed the case.