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The_Crow
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The child never decides, but judges take the child's wishes into consideration. |
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westfield47130
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Usually the courts will consider a childs wish at age 12. However the courts don't always approve the request...but will if the reason is legit. |
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SuzyQ
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I think it depends on the state or county you are in. I have heard of kids as young as 9 being able to voice an opinion on who they would rather live with. |
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Lovin my Army Man
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Depends on the State and County, but usually the child will have to be evaluated to see if they are able to make a educated decision with a sound mind.
Some states are as young as 7 some are as old as 14.
Sorry its not much help. |
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moonraze2000
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in some staes its 12 years old in others its 14. |
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BUNNY
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12 in Arkansas, i think it depends on the state your in. |
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sourpatchkissld121
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well im goin throug it rite now nd it doesnt matter how old u r it just matters how tha parent records nd their papers tht tha government has lyke if u have a clean record wit everything |
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Emily Dew
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I don't think it's ever right to make a child decide who to live with. My best friend when I was growing up had to do that when her folks got divorced. She really wanted to go live with her dad, but she went with her mother because she felt guilty about "abandoning" her because her older brother chose to go with their father. The mother later remarried a guy who was not very nice and had a couple of kids with him. By then, my girlfriend didn't want to leave because she was afraid to leave her half-sisters behind. It was an awful situation that could have been completely avoided. |
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navind
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Mother is considered 'Natural guardian' of a child in legal parlance. But on completion of age of 18 (in some countries/states 21), the 'child' is considered to be able to decide to live with any one of the parents. And the Law accepts that choice. |
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tater bug
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usually 12 is the magic number but they dont solely go on what the kid wants. there are other issues like who is the most stable parent, etc. the norm now is joint custody. the parents split the time 50/50. |
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Sweet T
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ask a lawyer |
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s.d.mami
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Well i dunno but why would a father want to seperate a child from their mother. If the mother was a crack head, I understand, but if not, why would he do it? probably to hurt her, but in the long run it would hurt the kid. I think that the kid would have to be a teenager. If the father hired an attorney, I think they would have a psychologist speak with the child to see who they would want to go with. |
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Elaine S
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The court told my nephew that when he turned 8 he could decide which parent he wanted to live with. |
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punxsutawney phil
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Good parents would never put a child in that position (to have to decide). |
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Tara
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12 years old in my State.
You would need to know the exact law of your State. |
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"Your Name" on my *SS
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i think it all depends on which home the child is happiest living in. i know i was miserable at age 10 living with my mother and she knew that, she didn't want me to leave her, but she let me live with my dad. all together, i was happiest staying with him instead. |
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Tessa
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OK i went through this and i think you have to be either 15/16. Im not sure thought because my dad never had legal custody over us. So we never got to choose. |
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volleybabe1123
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well i am 15 and i got to choose i think it just depends... |
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gaylene B
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Depends on the jurisdiction. In CA it's generally 14, but that's not written into the law, it's just accepted practice. Children's opinions can be listened to, but the judge is under no obligation to do as the child asks. |
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Elsie
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It depends on what state you live in. We are in Illinois, and it's 16 here. Two of my husband's three kids wanted to live with him because their mom is so controling. She fought him on the first one, but when his daughter turned 16 she couldn't legally do anything about it. When the youngest one wanted to move in with us she just tried to give him a huge guilt trip (which only pushed him farther away and he didn't speak to her for almost 6 months), but again, she couldn't go anything legally to stop it.
I have no idea what the different ages are in different states, but I would imagine no younger than 12 and no older than 17. |
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kayycakess
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its 14 years old =] i know from experience because my parents got divorced and i couldnt decide who i wanted to live with until i was 14, until i was 14 the court decided for the child as who was the better parent. |
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Tim B
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15 years old in the state of nevada |
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selvarajmr
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Better Study the law books.
It is a sin .... The divorce is like an accident to kids which affects their life ..... |
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Barbie
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In Louisiana it*s 12 |
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lemler
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i don't know about know but when i was a kid a Friend of mine wanted to live with her dad but she had to wait until she was 12 before the court would let her make her own choice |
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Freddy
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When my parents went through a custody battle, I got to decide, and I was only 10. Now, I think that the age has been changed to 14 (in the state of Texas). |
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JasminesMommy
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13 i believe.. that is when i had a choice over 10 years ago. |
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kathyw
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It depends on the state. A lawyer in that state is the best source of information. It may be that the divorce is such that parents agree on the custody arrangement and it never does go to the child. |
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