What do courts think about when they decide what's best for a child?
Many things, including:
- which parent has been the main care giver/nurturer of the child
- the parenting skills of each parent, their strengths and weaknesses and their ability to provide for the child's special needs, if any
- the mental and physical health of the parents
- whether there has been domestic violence in the family
- work schedules and child care plans of each parent
- the child's relationships with brothers, sisters, and members of the rest of the family
- what the child wants, depending on the age of the child
- each parent's ability to cooperate with the other parent and to encourage a relationship with the other parent, when it is safe to do so
For more information, see factors in determining a child custody case