My son is 13 years old and wants to live with me. At what age can they choose and what can we do if his father will not let him leave? How old does he have to be to just pack his bags and go?

My son is 13 years old and wants to live with me. At what age can they choose and what can we do if his father will not let him leave? How old does he have to be to just pack his bags and go?

At 18 he can pack his bags and go.

At 18 he can choose where he lives.

Until he turns 18, the judge decides where he lives. NC does not have a certain age at which a child is allowed to state his preference (which is not the same thing as choosing), but at 13, the judge may very well allow him to do that. But even then, the judge considers many other factors...not just simply what the child wants. In the end, it's the judge, not the child, that makes the decision.