Opinion ID: 2621955
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The ability of each parent to meet Miranda's needs

Text: Eniero argues that she demonstrated that she was better able to meet Miranda's needs than Brekke and that the superior court erred when it concluded that both parents were equally capable of meeting Miranda's needs. She points out that under the terms of the former custody agreement she had the ultimate power to make medical and educational decisions. She also contends that Brekke failed to notify her of Miranda's illnesses or ailments. Eniero's arguments do not convince us that the superior court abused its discretion. With regard to her final say over decisions, Eniero ignores the terms of the prior custody order providing Brekke a voice in any major decisions. And, given the week-on, week-off shared physical custody arrangement, Brekke regularly interacted with Miranda and had sufficient opportunity to learn of her needs. Eniero's claim about the lack of communication from Brekke to Eniero about Miranda's illnesses largely ignores that the superior court addressed this issue. The court concluded that both parents defined illness differently and that they both had different approaches for treating illnesses. The court found that both approaches were valid. Though Eniero believed that Brekke should have told her when Miranda was sick, the court determined that communication, while probably appreciated, was not required given the minor nature of Miranda's ailments.