Opinion ID: 1697830
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Health, Age and Sex of the Child.

Text: ¶ 32. Regarding this factor, the chancellor found Catherine to be a healthy seven-year-old girl with no history of medical problems, she was of an age and maturity level that either parent could care for her, and found that this factor favored neither parent. Jane argues the chancellor erred in failing to find that this factor weighed in her favor. As support for this argument, she cites to Sobieske v. Preslar, 755 So.2d 410, 413 (Miss.2000), where this Court found that the age and sex of the child weighed in favor of the mother retaining primary custody, as the child was a female and was between four or five years old at the time the custody modification action was commenced. In Sobieske, we did find that the age and sex of the child weighed in favor of the mother, but we also noted that the tender years doctrine has been weakened in Mississippi to the point that age and sex are now merely factors to be considered under Albright. Sobieske, 755 So.2d at 413. ¶ 33. In Mercier v. Mercier, 717 So.2d 304, 306-07 (Miss.1998), cited in Sobieske, the chancellor found that the age and sex of the child weighed in favor of neither parent where the female child was within weeks of her seventh birthday at the time of trial. On appeal, this Court affirmed the chancellor's finding and stated that a child of seven is long past the age that requires this type of special care from her mother. Mercier, 717 So.2d at 307. In the present case, Catherine was six when the matter initially came to trial and was seven at the time that both the first and revised divorce decrees were entered. Because Catherine was seven years old at the time the chancellor entered the challenged order, we find the chancellor did not abuse his discretion in finding that this factor did not weigh in favor of either parent, i.e., that the tender years doctrine was not applicable.