Get MI Repair Facility Manual 2007-2024

Tennessee Parenting Plans and Custody Agreements. A parenting plan (sometimes called a custody agreement) specifies how parents will share in the responsibilities of parenting. Divorcing parents must each submit a proposed plan.

In Tennessee, the child must be at least 12 years old. That would be the legal age at which the child could express a preference of a parent to live with over the other. Children should never be pressured to take sides or choose the more loved (or permissive) parent instead of the other parent (or disciplinarian).

Typically, a court will only deny visitation rights if it finds that contact with the noncustodial parent would be likely to cause a substantial harm the child's physical or emotional health.

In law, there is no fixed age that determines when a child can express a preference as to where they want to live. However, legally, a child cannot decide who they want to live with until they are 16 years old. Once a child reaches the age of 16, they are legally allowed to choose which parent to live with.

Parenting classes can help parents learn more about what to expect in the coming years and prepare for each developmental stage. Since confident, decisive parents tend to raise confident, secure children, parenting classes can give you a much-needed skill set and help decrease your feelings of anxiety.

Under Tennessee statute, the court shall consider the reasonable preference of the child over the age of 12.

Talk to your child about why they don't want to go Let your child express their feelings to you without judgment. When it's your turn to respond, do so with kindness and understanding. Show them that you understand their concerns by considering those as a whole family.

Understand that in Tennessee, it is settled law that mothers have no superior rights to child custody over fathers. It would be a constitutional violation of a parent's rights to favor one gender over the other in a custody dispute.

Although a child can never decide issues relating to custody or visitation, Tennessee law requires a court to consider the wishes of a child over the age of 12 when making visitation related decisions.

Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36, Chapter 6, states that divorcing parents in the State of Tennessee are required to watch a 30-minute video on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The video below fulfills this requirement.