Q: My parents have joint custody over me. We went to court 5 1/2 years ago. Is it possible I could choose who to live with?
I am 14, almost 15 in December. My brother is almost 12, and he has the same joint custody times as I do. Our mom is not really a fit parent anymore. For the past few years she has been depressed. Always screaming at us or complaining about how stuff isn't fair. She is paid by the government and doesn't have a job due to her heart condition (HCM). She is always either crying, yelling, or yelling she's going to attempt suicide. I am taking care of myself more than she takes care of me. My dad doesn't exactly have money lying around to spend thousands to go to court for this. Is there a cheap, easy way for us to live with our dad instead? We have some recorded evidence of her yelling and other things. How much would it cost to decide this in court? And is it possible that we just sort it out without going to court? If she agrees to let him have full custody for some reason.
A:
Best bet is to get mom to agree to the change, then have lawyer draw up paperwork, which shouldn't cost much.
Oklahoma law says both you and your brother may express a preference to custody, and judge should follow unless good reason not to. This shouldn't cost to much to get done.
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