my kids

[erika-beth]

my kids want to live with us there mother has residency what age do they need to be to makeup there own mind on who they live with and how do we get this sorted out

[ethanryan]

i believe that if you feel the children would be better off with you then you get a solicitor which would mean going to court to fight for them. but unfortunatly in this situation the mother normally wins-even though it isnt right. you will need to have good reason as to why you think they would be better off with you.
what does the mother think?
how old are the children?

[erika-beth]

yes well we new that we would have to go to court and fight
but we wanted to know at what age can they vote with there feet if they have decided to chose to live with us the court did say they would eventually vote with there feet

[christina81]

i don't understand what you mean vote by "vote with their feet" But i think its ten yrs old.Obviously as "ethanryan" said there would need to be good reason for this.Are the children old enough to make up their own minds ? Unless ofcourse the mother agrees to this or mabye to joint custody,I'd imagine this would be a little confusing for the children though.
And you said "us",Who is "us"? The court would want to know if the living arrangments are suitable

[debbbie33]

i think it depends on where you live. i am in scotland and my son was 9 yrs old when he was allowed to have his own lawyer so he could as you said vote with his feet. check with your own lawyer for advice.

[banjobabe]

My daughter decided at 12 that she would like to go and live with her father, he'd enticed her with all sorts of things that she never actually got.

She's still there and to be honest and least she sort of has two parents now. When she lived with me she didn't know from one day to the next when she would hear or see her Dad next.

She knows exactly where she is with me as an absent parent.

Though I do get a lot of attitude from the csa when they realise that the mother is the non resident parent!

BB xx