If your child is close to or above the age of14 & you are considering asking for full custody, make sure you havethoroughly researched your state's child custody rules. Children over the ageof 14 will be free to choose which parent they want to live with in severalstates. This is, of course, assuming there is no proof of child abuse by thechild's preferred parent.
While many parents believe their child/childrenshould be able to make their own decisions about what is best for them, notevery court agrees. In California, for example, child custody rules say that akid over the age of 14 can choose which parent he/she prefers to live with,provided the courts find the parent to be fit and in the best interest of thechild.
While the court will allow a child to choosewhich parent he/she would rather reside with, the court will typically awardparenting time to the parent the child does not live with. In this case, aparenting plan will be required. The custodial parent will have the right tomake all decisions regarding emergencies, medical treatment, as well as allordinary, day-to-day decisions.
The non-custodial parent will still be givenaccess to all of the child's records and will be allowed to participate indecisions regarding religion and education. In other states, the child custodylaws vary but almost always have some sort of clause for children over the ageof 14.
For more in-depth information regarding childcustody laws in your state, you may want to visit your state's official websiteand look at their various statutes concerning divorce and child custody. Youcan also contact an accomplished child custody attorney for a free initialconsultation.
Our goal at Jos Family Law is to assist clientswith family law issues that affect the essential areas of their life. Mr.Binoye Jos, an experienced family law attorney, can assist you with divorce,child custody, & other family law matters. Contact Mr. Binoye Jos, thefinest Anaheim Divorce Attorney, at 1-714-733-7066 forassistance.
