There is a huge myth that there’s a magic age where kids get to pick where they want to live. Often it’s 12, 13, or 14 years old. And in some states there is an age where kids get to pick and have more of a say. That’s not true in Minnesota. Minnesota looks at the maturity level of each individual child to determine whether or not that child is reasonably mature enough to voice a reasonable preference about where they want to live. The more mature the child, the more reasonable the court is going to draw that preference, and the more power is going to be given to that. But there are some kids at 17 who make really bad decisions for really bad reasons, and courts aren’t gonna automatically give them the power to make that choice.