Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

At what age can the child choose which parent to live with?

At what age can the chilc choose which parent to this with. In this specific case the mother has custody but he wishs to live with his father, at what age can this happen? What age does he have the choice? Please reply


Asked on 5/27/02, 9:19 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Sanford Martin Martin Law Office

Re: At what age can the child choose which parent to live with?

There is no magic age when a court considers the preference of a child; however, a court will consider the desires and preference of a child who is mature for his/her age around 12 yrs of age. Most important, the court must weight the best interests of the child. So a court will give more weight to the preference of a 15 year old child who has good reasons for wishing to live with a particular parent. A court will give less weight to the preference of a 10 yr old child. A court may require a custody evaluation performed by a psychologist who will interview the child and parents and perhaps others, and advise the court on the issue of custody.

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Answered on 5/27/02, 9:34 pm


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