My child, who is 14 years of age, wants to come and live with me now. Can my child decide to do that?
It is often said that children do not get to make the decisions with respect to these sorts of issues. Having said that, certainly, the older a child gets, the more the child’s views will be considered. There are different ways to try and determine a child’s views, including a “views and preferences” report, usually conducted by a senior family lawyer or a therapist experienced in family law matters. In some situations, a more involved investigation may be undertaken, possibly involving a psychologist. Parents should never try and influence or pressure a child as to where the child is to live. Once a child reaches a certain age, e.g. 15 or 16 years, the child may well just do what they want regardless. Of course, once a child is 18, the child is an adult and can do what they decide for themselves. We do a lot of family/divorce law. We have 3 offices, including 8 Guelph Street, Georgetown, in the Lounsbury Life & Group Insurance Benefits building. We are happy to provide a free initial consultation via Zoom with the ongoing public health concern.
