Opinion ID: 2638013
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ability to care for the children

Text: Eric's contention that the court did not give adequate weight to his parenting skills, and the four and a half years that he exercised those skills, is unsupported. The trial court found that the parties were equal with respect to factor twothe capacity and desire of the parent to meet the needs of the child, [26] concluding that both Eric and Katherine had demonstrated the ability to care for the children. While there was little negative evidence as to Eric's ability to parent, there was no negative evidence as to Katherine's parenting skills. [27] The court's finding that the parties were equal on this factor is supported by the record. The witnesses offered by Eric to support his parenting ability were all professional acquaintances who saw him in settings outside the home, such as work or social gatherings. Kathy Poulson worked with Eric and had taught his children. Terri Robbins was a special needs teacher who also had worked with Eric and observed him at work. Maggie Freitag was a classroom volunteer and her daughter was a friend of the parties' boys. Adrianna Moss was a teacher at White Cliff School who had observed Eric at work and around his children. None of these witnesses had seen Eric under the influence of alcohol, although both Kathy Poulson and Terri Robbins knew that he had received treatment for alcohol abuse. Eric's former girlfriend, Lori Ann Thomas, was subpoenaed by Katherine to testify. Lori Ann met Eric in 1996; they started dating in 1997. They dated, on and off, for approximately fifteen months, with the relationship ending near the end of 1998. Over the course of their relationship, Lori Ann had the opportunity to observe Eric in his home, and she testified that his drinking problem had a negative impact on the children. Her testimony concerning Eric's substance abuse problem is discussed in more detail below. On her own behalf, Katherine testified that she wanted to care for both of her boys. No evidence that Katherine could not care for the children was presented. Eric contends that there was no negative evidence regarding the social or educational development of the boys. But the court properly took into account the boys' satisfactory development, Eric's parenting skills, and the care he had given them. The finding that this factor was neutral because both parents were equally capable of parenting the children is thus not clearly erroneous. The weight the court accorded this factor was not an abuse of discretion.