Could my ex husband go for full custody of our teenager?

[SomnambulantSloth]

What are my rights? Do I have any? What if my child says he only wants to live with his Dad and just see me in the day what then? He is 13.

If he's 13 your son will have a say in where he goes.

If the dad and the child are both serious about it and can make it happen with accommodation, school, childcare etc then there's a very good chance it could happen.

What would be in the child's best interests?

first of all if you’re in the UK you don’t have “rights”, just responsibilities. You also don’t get “custody” of a child, both parents have responsibilities.

at 13 your child is old enough to say what he wants. You can try a solicitor and the legal route to force him to stay with you, but barring your ex not being a suitable person for him to live with it’s unlikely. You know your child, could you force him to do something?

Concentrate on keeping your relationship and bond, and making sure he knows the door is open at any time.

Duplicate…

Are you the poster who moved out of the family home?

If he’s 13 I would imagine that unless there is some issue that would prevent his dad from having him that he can live with who he wants . Your son is the only one with ‘rights’ .

What is the situation now? Who does the 13 yo live with most of the time? What are the visitation arrangements?

If your ex was to go to court, your 13 yo’s views would be taken into consideration and if the situation is feasible, he could get what he is asking for.

Is there any way to resolve the situation amicably between the two of you? Why does the 13 yo want to live with his dad?

At 13 a judge would determine your son is old enough to "express his wishes and feelings" unless there are specific reasons why that should not happen.

Yes a 13 year old who says he wants to live with his dad, and the dad is going for custody, is likely to get it. At that age the DCs wishes are taken into account and rightly so.

When 11 my DD refused to see her Dad, we were all dragged to court over it. The judge ruled that he wouldn't force her to see him, she's now 18 and still won't see him.