Many people believe there is a “magic age” at which children can choose which parent they live with or whether they visit a parent at all. The perceived age ranges from twelve to fifteen. People think, “By fifteen, certainly my child can choose not to see my ex, right?” Wrong. In North Carolina, children do not have that choice until they are eighteen, in other words, until they are legally adults. Until that time, courts generally encourage children to spend time with both parents. Sometimes, when one parent is extremely resistant to the child seeing the other parent, a court will insist the child spend time with the other parent.