Reply to 17 Year Old Custody Schedule

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Reply to "17 Year Old Custody Schedule"

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[quote=Anonymous]The Dad here has been accommodated for a long time and that is part of the problem - change is hard for most men as they age.
Another part of the problem is that Dad does not recognize the needs of his young adult child.

Sure Dad can make a lot of noise about court but not only is it expensive but the likely outcome is that the 17 year old's will is prioritized.
When it comes to custodial time, the courts consider what is in the best interest of the child.  It is not in the best interest of a 17 year old to travel 1.5 hours each way to visit a Dad when the 17 year old is extremely busy with school which more than ever is a huge factor in college admissions.  The courts COULD mandate the father make the 1.5 hr trip instead to acccommodate the child's needs. Is Dad willing to take that risk?

One of my friends grew up spending the summers with her father on the east coast (she grew up on the west coast).  During and after college she stayed on the east coast near dad, married locally and raised a family.  Although she didn't grow up with her father as a daily presence 9 months of the year, she still had a strong relationship with him.
Another one of my friends was forced to live with her divorced dad as a teen.  She really didn't like it and as soon as she was old enough, she left him to live with mom.  To this day she doesn't talk to him (he was apparently a deeply unpleasant person).  He doesn't get to see his grandchildren.

It is not advised to treat children like a punch-in, punch-out time clock.  They are people with needs - little people, but people nonetheless.  The courts create a framework to facilitate those needs but at the end of the day the courts cannot mold a relationship.  For that, the parents need to rely on their people skills.
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