Opinion ID: 1595736
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: Quality of Relationship Between Children and Parents

Text: The sixth factor, the quality of the relationship between the children and each parent, is relied upon by Dwight in his opposition to relocation. Although each party pointed to flaws of the opposing party in district court, the parties' consistent testimony established that both parents are actively involved in the lives of their children. It is uncontested that the children spend approximately half their time with each parent and that both parents have been intimately involved in all aspects of raising the children. Cynthia relies on the fact that Dwight was, at the time of hearing, behind in his child support payments. We have stated, however, that as a general rule, the custodial parent's right of support and the noncustodial parent's right of visitation are entitled to separate enforcement. Welch v. Welch, 246 Neb. 435, 519 N.W.2d 262 (1994). Although stated in terms of visitation, the principle is equally applicable to custodial determinations. While we consider Dwight's child support arrearage in our de novo review, we do not consider it as a significant reason to modify custody from Dwight to Cynthia under the circumstances of this case. Testimony from several witnesses established that Dwight has very close relationships with both children. While moving to New York would preserve the relationship of the children with Cynthia, the move would, as discussed in more detail later in this opinion, detrimentally affect the close relationship between Dwight and the children. We also note that Cynthia's proposed schedule at NYU, working the evening shift, would seem to interfere, especially during the school year, with Cynthia's own ability to maintain her relationship with the children. Overall, this factor in our de novo review weighs significantly against relocation of the children.