Opinion ID: 1808724
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: the welfare and best interests of the two preschool girls would best be served by placing them in the custody of their mother with liberal visitation rights

Text: In any child custody determination, the court must act with the best interests of the child in mind. SDCL 30-27-19. In doing what it considers best for each child, a court may divide the custody of several children between the parents for compelling reasons. See: Grace v. Grace, 221 Neb. 695, 380 N.W.2d 280, 285-286 (Neb. 1986); In Re Marriage of Gonzales, 373 N.W.2d 152, 155 (Iowa 1985); Braeman v. Braeman, 192 Neb. 510, 222 N.W.2d 811, 814 (Neb.1974). In the present case, sufficient circumstances existed which lead the trial court to believe that the best interests of the children would be served by placing Amber and Terra with their mother. Even though the South Dakota Legislature did away with the tender years doctrine of SDCL 30-27-19 in 1979, it did not change the basic sociological structure of the American family. Although the trend is away from strict mother-father roles, there remains a widely held belief that young children should be with their mother. See generally: Annot., 70 A.L.R.3d 262 (1976). There are still strong social reasons for giving custody to the mother when it is shown that she is a fit and capable person who is able to care for the children. Here, the evidence shows a substantial change of circumstances since the time of the divorce. The record indicates that Mrs. Koenders now has a settled home life, steady professional employment, and has made adequate arrangements for the children's care while she is working. She is a fit, capable, and loving mother, and the trial court so found. Testimony was presented to the trial court which suggested that the children were being neglected to a certain extent while in their father's custody. While none of these conditions are serious examples of abuse or neglect, they may serve as indicators of other more serious conditions. If these conditions existed when the five children lived with their father and had a full-time live-in babysitter, (his sister), they may be worse after his remarriage and the addition of two more children to the family. It is logical for the trial court, after seeing the demeanor of the witnesses and considering all the circumstances of this case, to conclude that it would be in Amber and Terra's best interests to be placed in their mother's custody where they would be assured of receiving all of the love and attention that was rightfully theirs. Of course, such a separation would deprive them of some sibling association with their older brothers and sister. But this loss was at least partially compensated for by the modified stipulation and order for visitation. The stipulation was based on the prior agreement of November 1984, which was approved by the court subsequent to this contested decision. [1] Although these reasons are not, by themselves, overwhelming, they are, when taken together, compelling; and the trial court so found. The court had a sufficient evidentiary basis from which to conclude that the best interests of these two young girls would be served by placing them with their mother, and that any loss of sibling association could be minimized by an effective and liberal visitation schedule. The record shows that Mrs. Koenders sustained her burden of proving both a substantial change of circumstances, and that the children's welfare and best interests required the change of custody. Flint, 334 N.W.2d at 681. The welfare of the children is the paramount consideration that controls their disposition whenever the question of custody arises. Larson v. Larson, 70 S.D. 178, 179, 16 N.W.2d 307 (1944). In resolving this delicate issue, the trial court has been aided by the impressions [it] has been able to form of each of the individuals concerned. Sound reason suggests that we should not interfere in the absence of a clear and abiding conviction that the broad discretion vested in that court has been abused. Id. Here, the trial judge was in a much better position than is this court, who sees only the written record, to choose the environment most advantageous to the children's welfare. SDCL 15-6-52(a). Accordingly, there was no abuse of judicial discretion in this case and the trial court decision should be affirmed, not reversed by this court. I am authorized to state that WUEST, C.J., joins in this dissent.