Mom

I live in the state of Washington. My son is 15 and does not want to visit his father on a visitation weekend. Does my son have to go? His dad is angry with me because of it and it is totally my son's decision not to go.

Yes if a court order exists--but you and your son can go to court and try to get the order changed.

[missingmyhubby]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

it is totally my son's decision not to go.

if your son didnt want to go to school, would you let him stay home? sorry to tell you this, but it is NOT his decision. as long as there is a valid court order, he goes, or you can get hauled into court for contempt, and done enough times, be stripped of custody. when he is 18, he can decide not to see dad, untill then, he has NO say in the matter. period.

yikes! better follow that order

[missingmyhubby]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

yikes! better follow that order

yup. kids are forced to do a lot of things they dont want to do, but sometimes, as in the case of seeing the op, they dont have a choice. mom needs to make her son understand that he is not in charge here, that he either goes, or mom is the one who gets in trouble, and done enough times, he will be living with dad and visting mom. and it will be that way untill he is 18.

The laws depend on the state. In some states, children have NO say until they are eighteen. In my state, however, when a child is "old enough" (most judges consider thirteen old enough), they can request a change of custody in the child's name. What happens then is the child is questioned in private in the judge's chambers without any outside influences present. They are made to understand that if the order is changed, it is usually permanent. If this be the case, and your child seriously wishes to not spend time with his father, you may request a modification of custody and have your child questioned by the judge and then custody may be modified. Usually there has to be a damn good reason, though, considering how fickle teenagers are.

[missingmyhubby]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The laws depend on the state. In some states, children have NO say until they are eighteen. In my state, however, when a child is "old enough" (most judges consider thirteen old enough), they can request a change of custody in the child's name. What happens then is the child is questioned in private in the judge's chambers without any outside influences present. They are made to understand that if the order is changed, it is usually permanent. If this be the case, and your child seriously wishes to not spend time with his father, you may request a modification of custody and have your child questioned by the judge and then custody may be modified. Usually there has to be a damn good reason, though, considering how fickle teenagers are.

she isnt asking about a change in custody, she is asking wether or not her son can decide not to see his father, and the answer to that is a resounding NO, he canot. not untill he is 18. they dont have a say wether or not they see the op.