Why Do We Do This to Families?

Today, I am headed to St. Simons for the Georgia Association of Marriage and Family Therapist's annual conference. You will not be shocked to learn that the main presentation is on divorce. With that in mind, I leave you with this open thread today and this thought:

In Georgia, the law allows 14 year olds to elect which parent they wish to live with, and they often have say so about visitation as well. The judge is to take into consideration the opinions of 12 and 13 year olds. Why do we think that children this age are not mature enough to drive a car, but they are mature enough to choose a custody arrangement? This creates awful dynamics in a divorced family. I have seen parents start "working on" children as young as six with "one day you can decide." We need to change this law to allow some parental and judicial input. Your thoughts?

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