Thank you for your question.
There's no "magic bullet" that a judge looks for, so to speak. Instead, a court will always to try do what it feels is in the best interest of the child. To that extent, they will look at a variety of factors, including the mental, physical, and emotional health of the child; the ability of each parent to care for and provide for the child; how adjusted the child is in his current environment; the relationship of the parents to one another; and the relationship of the child to each parent. In some cases, if a child is old enough (usually starting around age 10-12) a judge may also consider a child's wishes as to where they want to live.
Changes in custody can be difficult to get because judges are reluctant to change the status quo, absent a showing of a significant change in circumstances.
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It can be hard to say because you never know what a judge is going to be like. I've seen cases with great facts get shot down by a judge, and other cases with no facts result in custody changes. Most judges I know would take issue with the child making negative comments about the other parent -this shows that the one parent is talking negatively about the other, and not fostering a healthy relationship between the child and her father. A personality disorder may be significant, if it means the child could be in danger. If the disorder is controlled with medication or other treatment, then it's less of a factor. Similarly, "odd" behavior could be a negative if the child's health, welfare or safety is at risk.
Ultimately, it's going to come down to how the evidence is presented by each side and who the judge feels will do better by the child. Like I said earlier, custody changes are difficult, and they are rare, it's a high threshold, but it's not an impossible one either.
Attorney
2+ years as an attorney with experience in criminal defense, family law, estates and personal injury