I am 16 and have lived with my mother most of my life. I have been through several "fathers" that could hardly be called fathers, more like just "men" in my life. (Four to be exact). I am currently living with my mother and fourth "man in my life" and no longer wish to do so. I am getting quite sick of the attitude and over protection of my current parents, and to tell you the truth, I'm just not happy here. I love my birth father to the moon and back, and all the little time I ever get to spend with him is precious and more loved than any amount of time I spend at home. With his current circumstances, though, he isn't very "wealthy" at all, if you know what I mean. He's got a farm he is struggling with and barely has much money at all, and has not been able to pay child support for two months now, and will likely soon go to jail if he can not come up with the money to pay for it! with his situation, I would LOVE to move in with him and help out, because I know I could, but I have no Idea if the court would allow me to move in with him. Both my birth mother and father have had a... troubled past... but my mother is... very good at making people feel bad for her, if you know what I mean. I'm just afraid that if I get my father (who would also love if I moved in with him) to start a "custody battle" that it would be in vain and would put him even deeper into debt. I currently have the money to help get a lawyer so that is no problem. It's not the fact that he is wasteful with his money, it's just that he is struggling to stay up because every time he gets the money to do something, something happens that he needs to take care of, for example, the corner of the roof of his barn just tore off not a couple of days ago and if he doesn't get it fixed the barn will flood out and won't have a place for his soon to be mother pig and the babies would be born under water. Not exactly like that but you know what I mean... He could definitely use the money he is instead giving to me that we absolutely do not need, as my mother and step father are quite fine in terms with money anyways, and it seems the only reason that my mom wants to have him give child support is to make life just a little harder on him. Please, if anyone knows a bit about child custody laws I would love it if you could explain to me what kind of decision I have in where I live? I'm just looking to move in with my father, but my mom said she would spend ever last penny she had to make sure I did not move in with him, and I thought that as long as both homes are "structurally sound" for the child's safety and health, then it was to be decided by the child, if they were old enough?