Subsection (f) means the Court wants to hear about the any negative behavior by either parent that directly impacts the minor child. Some examples might be drug abuse or other illegal behavior, and arrests. Exposing the child to inappropriate behavior will be considered by a Judge under with this factor.

Subsection (g) is exactly what you would imagine – a Judge wants to know about the mental health of the parents and the physical health of the parents. A long history of mental health issues that directly affects the minor child is important for a Judge to know about and consider. The physical health of the parent is also important; a Judge wants to know which parent is better physically able to take care of the children.

Subsection (h) means the Court wants to know how the child is doing in school, what activities the child is involved in, and how the child functions at home. A Judge will review consider if the child has had discipline issues at school or has been in trouble with law enforcement.

With Subsection (i), the Court does not want a young child to be asked which parent he or she wants to live with if the child is not emotionally developed enough to do so. There is no “magic age” in Florida at which a child gets to decide which parent he or she will spend wants to live with; this is decided on a case-by-case basis and Judges prefer to keep children of all ages, even older teenagers, out of the courtroom unless absolutely necessary.