Was the name of a country song about a man who had tired of his employment and decided to move on. The artist apparently had only one job. What happens if you have two jobs to make ends meet for your family?
If your wife leaves you, is child support calculated based upon your noble decision to put in 60 hours per week so they have everything they need? In general, the answer is “no”. Louisiana courts do not expect you to sacrifice body and soul to continue to support a family that is no longer intact. They do, however, expect you to live up to your earning potential.
If you are making $200 a week as a self-employed face painter working 50 hours Monday through Saturday, a court is likely to take a dim view of your deciding to work 40 hours at the same job making $160. Many spouses who have sacrificed to take care of their families find that separation and divorce only add to their economic woes. They must make the difficult choice between working to maintain the style to which their families have become accustomed and making time to be with their children instead of their jobs.
Talk to your lawyer about these issues. They may not be legal issues but they are problems that your family lawyer can help you solve, even if he or she cannot make them go away.