At what age can a child decide which parent they want to live with?

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Originally Posted by sheryl127

At what age can a child decide which parent they want to live with?

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Sheryl,

First a welcome to AMHD. Second, a point on how to use this site. Its not a good idea to piggy back your question in someone's else's thread. Especially when your question has nothing to do with the oiriginal question. This can often cause confusion. So I asked that this be moved to its own thread.

As to the answer to your question, its never. A minor has no choice. They can voice their preference and a judge or the parents may listen to it, but its not a decision the minor can make.

Sheryl,

I have moved your post to it's own thread so that we don't risk taking over someone else's. You will see that you will get more answers this way.

Hello and welcome.

At around 12 most courts will allow the child to testify as to where they want to live, but the court ( judge) is not under any obligation to allow the child to do this.

But one of the parents will have to file for a change in the custody agreement in court, for the child to be able to move to the other parent.

It is never something the child just gets to decide on their own.
*unless it is written into the custody agreement of course but I have never seen it written in but I guess it could be.