Unless both parents agree to the move and the terms of custody changes, a relocating parent must receive court approval to move with a child, whether within or outside California. Moving “away” is considered relocating a distance that will disrupt the current custodial arrangement, generally 50 miles or more.

Surprisingly, the answer is yes. You can be guilty of kidnapping your own child. One parent decides to take the child physically away without the permission of the court or the other parent. In California, this is a serious crime and you will be prosecuted.

If no custody order exists, a short trip without court permission is allowed under normal circumstances. But it’s important to not take the child out of the state against the opposing parent’s wishes.

Yes, you do have a right to know where you child is being taken (staying) while your ex is exercising parenting time. Further, each you and your ex should have accesss to emergency contact information for communication between the two…

14 or older

If the question of who the child is to live with has to be resolved through court proceedings, then the courts will start to place weight on a child’s wishes when they are considered competent to understand the situation. This can be around the age of 12 or 13 but varies on the circumstances.

The options available to the court when stopping father seeing child. When considering the welfare of a child the courts will make a decision whether to stop a father seeing a child. If there is clear evidence of potential harm or risk to the child, the court may order a father to completely stop seeing their children.

If your child is adamant about not wanting to live with you or not wanting to hold any visitation with you, the best thing for you to do is to talk with your child about his/her feelings. Maybe this is just their way of acting out, or maybe they do have some valid concerns that you weren’t completely aware of.

14-years-old

The older the child, the more likely the child’s stated preferences will be considered by the presiding custody judge. In some child custody courts, children are allowed to complete an Affidavit of Preference and sign.

Parents often want to know at what age a child can decide whom to live with. The answer is simply: according to the law, eighteen. However, dissolution of marriage statutes provide that the child’s wish as to where s/he will live is a factor to be considered by a court in making a custody decision.

You cannot physically force a fifteen-year-old boy to visit a parent if he doesn’t want to. Because the custodial parent typically cannot make a teenager visit as ordered, then the court is unlikely to find the parent in contempt of court for failing to comply with a visitation order.

Can’t Teens Decide for Themselves Not to See a Parent? It’s a common child custody myth that once children reach a certain age, they are perfectly within their rights to decide to limit their time with or to not see a parent. This is false.