[CHARLENE0773]

Do you know what the laws for Georgia are? Thanks!

[JudyKayTee]

Do you know what the laws for Georgia are? Thanks!

Should have its own thread.

Georgia has many guidelines when it comes to awarding custody. One of them is whether the potential custodial parent will allow the child visitation with the other parents' relatives. That may exist in other States but I've never seen it before.

Here is what I found concerning Georgia and custody:

"Regardless of any agreement you may have reached, the court's standard for initially awarding custody is to determine the best interests of the child. In order to do this they look at several factors. It is important to remember, though, that no one factor carries any more weight than any other. The following list is some of the factors, but not all, that courts will consider.
The decision of the court may be considered reversible error if they won't hear the child's preference. However, the court has the discretion to interview the child out of the parents' presence. A child as young as 5 or 6 years of age may be heard. Though it is rare the court will hear from a child under 7 years, the child's ability to tell the truth from fiction and maturity will be the guidelines for whether a child may be heard. A child of 10 or 12 years of age is certainly entitled to have their opinions heard and given weight in legal proceedings about custody. Additionally, the court has the power to appoint an attorney for the child in contested cases."