In Missouri child custody issues, one of the factors the court must consider is the wishes of the child. Courts will allow the child to give testimony on his/her preference if the court determines that is appropriate.

The courts have indicated that starting around age 11, a child can express his/her opinion about where he/she would like to live primarily. The judge will decide how much weight to give to a child’s opinion. The older a child gets, the more weight his/her opinion is given in deciding who should have custody of the child.

The question of whether your child should testify should be discussed with your attorney.