Daughter wishes to live with father.

[JIMRODRIGUEZ]

What is the name of your state? Florida. My daughter, 17 years old, wishes to come live with me, her father. Her mother and I have shared custody, but her mother has residential custody. Her mother will not let her come live with me, unless I get a court order. Is this necessary, considering my daughters age? What do I need to do and how long will it take? My daughter does not want to be there anymore. Thanks.

 

[casa]

What is the name of your state? Florida. My daughter, 17 years old, wishes to come live with me, her father. Her mother and I have shared custody, but her mother has residential custody. Her mother will not let her come live with me, unless I get a court order. Is this necessary, considering my daughters age? What do I need to do and how long will it take? My daughter does not want to be there anymore. Thanks.

You would need to file for modification of custody/visitation. The length would depend on the court calendar in your county, and the facts relevant to your specific case and if the mother fights it. At age 17 a judge would take into consideration your child's wishes- but it would still be up to the judge to have the final say. Since your child is so close to age 18 it might take longer to go through court, than it would to wait until she's 18 and then she can move where she wants. (An exception would be if custody continues past age 18 for purposes of college etc, in which case that would be noted in your custody paperwork)

 

[JIMRODRIGUEZ]

Thanks. That is my biggest concern, how long this would all take. My daughter will not be 18 until 11 months from now. Alot could happen, and her home sitaution with her mother is very bad. The mother's personality, the mothers husband, she wants to leave now. Yes, to spite me, her mother will fight it and prolong it. What happens to my daughter during this time, when she has mentioned running away and even suicide?

 

[casa]

Thanks. That is my biggest concern, how long this would all take. My daughter will not be 18 until 11 months from now. Alot could happen, and her home sitaution with her mother is very bad. The mother's personality, the mothers husband, she wants to leave now. Yes, to spite me, her mother will fight it and prolong it. What happens to my daughter during this time, when she has mentioned running away and even suicide?

Encourage her to speak with her counselor at school and try to get her into some therapy. This will help in two ways- provide a forum for her to deal with the situation until it can be improved, And provide professional opinions in the event it does go to court.

You can usually find therapists who see patients on weekends, if not you can contact various teen orgs. through your yellow pages.