When there is a child custody dispute in New York, it is determined by a multitude of factors. The primary influence being the “best interests of the child(ren)”. In order to determine the best interests of the children, the Courts use several factors, where the children have previously resided, the ages of the child(ren), the wishes and desires of the child(ren), the parent’s anticipated living arrangements, either parent’s ability to co-parent and encourage positive relationships with the other parent plus other factors.