In Re the Custody of Bowman

Per Cubiam.

In determining who shall have the custody of the child of a broken home- — -one of the gravest responsibilities cast upon a Superior Court judge — “the welfare of the child ... is the polar star . . .” Kovacs v. Brewer, 245 N.C. 630, 635, 97 S.E. 2d 96, 100; accord, Thomas v. Thomas, 259 N.C. 461, 130 S.E. 2d 871. In making this determination, a judge must be ever on his guard not to substitute the welfare of the parent who appeals to his sympathy for that of the child and not to succumb to the temptation to punish, at the expense of the child, the parent whom he deems the original…