Custody of Kali

This case arises from a custody dispute between the unmarried parents of a child whom we shall call Kali. On July 12, 2002, a judge of the Probate and Family Court awarded sole legal and primary physical custody of Kali to her mother, and visitation and partial custody to her father. The father appealed *835and this court granted his application for direct appellate review. We affirm the judgment.

1. Background. We summarize the findings of the probate judge. The mother and the father began dating in 1994 and the next year began living together in the father’s home in Conway, Massachusetts. In…