Arizona Family law judges are hesitant to put children in the middle of conflict between their divorcing parents. However, at around the 12 year old age range, children can be interviewed to determine their preference for custody, and whether it is an intelligent preference. The age at which a child’s opinion is taken into account varies case-by-case, but, in some rare instances, it can go as low as 7 years old. Older children, especially teenagers, are more likely to be heard by the judge. A judge can conduct a private interview in her chambers to avoid pressure from the parents, or a custody evaluator or representative may get involved. If the child voices a preference, intelligent preferences based on important matters are regarded more highly. This means a judge is more likely to listen to a child who wants to live with Mom because they get along great and Mom is involved in after-school activities than a child who wants to live with Dad because Dad doesn’t enforce bedtime.