Our 13 year old child has indicated the parenting schedule they would like, should we follow their request?

This is always a tough question – when should you listen to your child’s request on parenting or when should a court consider it?  It is important for the children to have a good relationship with both parents. Jurisdictions often have presumptive ages in which a child’s request will be given weight in the ultimate outcome, often between age 14 and 16. However, even when a child requests a change, they do not have final say in the schedule.  Their request should be considered in the overall context but is not definitive on its own.