The Japanese have a term, kenzoku, which translated literally means family.. The connotation suggests a bond between people who've made a similar commitment and who possibly therefore share a similar destiny.
The laws in different states vary on whether a stepparent in this situation may have child custody rights or pay child support. In some states and situations, the stepparent may be ordered to pay child support if the stepparent loses primary physical custody of the child.
Example. Say the other parent makes $100/week before taxes, and he pays $25/week in support for another child. Subtract $25 from $100, and you get $75. Write $75 on the line for the father's weekly income when you use the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet to figure out how much support he must pay for your child.Massachusetts has  Child Support Guidelines  that judges must use to figure out how much child support the parent without custody has to pay each week.sually, the court will order the other parent to pay at least $80.00/month. In rare cases, if the other parent has very little money, the court may not order him to pay any child support at all.