In a Child’s Best Interests: Emotional Ties

In part 2 of this 7 part series, we discuss the Emotional Ties factor. Emotional Ties This factor asks about a child’s relationships in each parent’s home. Are there other sibling? Stepparents? Courts might be hesitant to interrupt children’s relationships if they have strong emotional ties with people in their primary household. How much weight these emotional ties have for the court depends on each parent’s role in the child’s life. Example: if a mother has two children with two different fathers and both children have lived with mother for the previous six months or more, it is unlikely that the court will separate those siblings if it is otherwise in the child’s best interests to stay with the mother. Stay tuned for part 3 for a more in depth discussion about Interests and Attitudes factor.