Have you ever had a debt you weren't able to pay off? A credit card bill for which you couldn't pull together a minimum payment? Perhaps the payments started to build up, and it became overwhelming. What is your first instinct when you owe money and don't have the funds to pay it?

Many of us have gotten behind on a payment or two. But when that payment is for the financial well-being of a child, the risks are higher, both for you and your family. An Illinois man found this out recently after avoiding bills for child support by traveling from city to city, only to be tracked down in the end.

The man, who owed nearly $117,000 in child support, pleaded guilty this week to violating federal child support laws. He moved between Alaska, Bermuda and Georgia to avoid paying support for his children in Idaho. He was arrested in March after returning to the U.S. from the Caribbean island.

The man faces up to two years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 and up to one year of unsupervised probation when he's sentenced in February. These penalties far outweigh the original debt, making it clear that running away from child support payments is not a good solution.

It's not clear whether the man was unable to pay or simply didn't want to. But even if he didn't have the money, he would have been better off hiring an attorney who specializes in working with families to arrange a manageable payment plan. The alternative of having your children visit you in prison someday just doesn't pay off.

Source: The Republic, "Deadbeat dad owes $116,000 in child support, pleads guilty to federal felony," Nov. 28, 2011