Child rights???

[cstuc]

I have a girlfriend that just turned 18 last May and had to move out of the house because her mom is a real *****. She has a sister that turnes 13 in a few weeks and wants to live with her dad in Texas. I was wondering at what age does the child have the right to choose what parent they want to live with and is it different from state to state? They used to live in Texas but moved to Oklahoma but her dad still lives in Austin. Her father had gone to jail many years before for a drug charge so would that dismiss any attempt for her to choose? We are totally clueless and want to help her sister out. Believe it or not, living with her dad would be much better for her as he does not emotionally abuse her. We can already see that the physical abuse is on it's way. She showed signs of it last weekend when we were at their house. Please help!!!

 

[LegalBeagle]

Unfortunately the answer is around 17 'if' her mother refuses to allow her to leave. The father will have little, if any chance of fighting for custody based on his past. Once the child gets to at least 16, she can up and leave for her fathers and it will be hard to get her back if the child does not want to return. There are still legal issues but it is less likely that a judge would force the child to return after a certain age.