Q: I’m going through a horrible, messy divorce, and I’m afraid my worst fear may come true—my 13-year-old daughter wants to live with her father instead of me because the cheating bum is “cool” and I’m just an over-anxious nag. Really he is just lazy so he lets her do whatever she wants and I’m the only one who ever enforces any discipline. A friend told me that there is a new law that says a 14-year-old can choose which parent gets custody. Is this true? A: Under California law, there is no specific age at which children can make custody or visitation decisions. The California Family Code, section 3042(a)), states that a court must “consider” and give “due weight” to the wishes of childr

Posted by RussinCali I have a domestic situation that I am trying to disarm. Last week, my soon to be ex continuously contacted me in a verbally abusive manner which continued until I was to pick up my daughter that night. We had a verbal exchange, loud enough to cause a call to dispatch. Since that day, I have made a point of directing her to talk to her attorney and not initiating any contact with her that did not relate to our daughters. However she has taken liberty to continue to release verbal barrage after barrage in an attempt to cause a repeat performance. What legal means can I take in order to safeguard myself from the continuous texted and verbal abuse. It has gotten to the

For the last two weeks, my daughter and I have been helping a long-time family friend whose daughter has been removed from her custody, under a very misguided Parental Alienation claim. I’ve accompanied her to an attorney meeting, my daughter created an email and website on her behalf hoping we could get her story out to the media, all the while trying to be encouraging, but guiding her in various directions to keep her focused isn’t as easy as it sounds. Their entire family is drained; emotionally, mentally and physically wiped out and it’s trickling down to extended family and friends. Those with children are asking if this can happen to them. Their little ones are waking up with nightma