Tag Archives: child

Best Interests of the Child – Relationship with Siblings and Other Significant Adults

February 12, 2010 – 2:43 pm

In this series, we’re reviewing Washington cases which help us to understand what exactly the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Our last article examined the fourth factor under RCW 26.09.187(3)(a) – “the emotional needs and developmental level of the child.“  Today,…

By liz | Posted in Features | Also tagged best interests, custody, parenting plan., RCW 26.09.187 | Comments (2)

Best Interests of the Child – The Emotional Needs and Developmental Level of the Child

February 5, 2010 – 10:50 am

In this series, we’re reviewing Washington cases which help us to understand what exactly the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Last week we discussed the third factor, the “past and future performance of parenting functions“, which relates to each parent’s ability to take…

By liz | Posted in Features | Also tagged best interests, parenting plan., RCW 26.09.187, residential schedule | Comments (2)

Best Interests of the Child – The Quality of the Parent Child Relationship

January 7, 2010 – 1:06 pm

In this series, we’re taking a look at some Washington cases that shed some light on to what the “best interests of the child” standard means, and how it works when applied to a specific family.  Today, in this second article in the series, we’re taking a look at the first of the seven  factors that Washington courts must consider…

By liz | Posted in Features | Also tagged best interests, custody, Divorce, parenting plan., Visitation | Comments (2)

When Kids Choose

June 8, 2009 – 2:10 pm

Question

I’ve heard that once a child reaches 12 years old, he or she can decide which parent to live with. Is this true?

Answer

Not in Washington. Unlike many states, including California, Washington tries to keep children away from court altogether in custody disputes. In fact, Washington courts often react quite negatively to a parent even saying “But…

By topher | Posted in Ask a Lawyer | Also tagged answer, custody, Divorce, parent, question, Washington | Comments Off