The Tender Years Doctrine

The Tender Years Doctrine

A) Separated issues of financial support and custody and said that the mother was the natural custodian of the child and, therefore, maternal preference should be the rule in divorce cases.
B) Paternal preference should be the rule in divorce cases because the father could support the child financially, which is very important during the early, "tender" years of life.
C) Was a document written by radicals of the day, advocating a higher tolerance of divorce in our culture.
D) Children should be able to choose which parent they would like to live with.