I'll leave the right or wrong to the court. They'll consider all the details.
But as for this wild child, this is far more common today than most people think. My buddy works through the state to deal with broken homes and abuse cases. He can't say who but he tells me general stories that are difficult to believe. Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, etc., it makes no difference.
I guess we all have our opinions about this but for me I think the old ways were better. They weren't perfect but we had fewer problems. All children need firm discipline and sincere love. The two must go together.
If it's all discipline with no or little love, the child will probably grow up with many issues hidden deep inside. Often these are mostly manifested as an extreme lack of independent drive and self confidence (Mom and dad always did the thinking for them). These are those who must be driven and they hate dealing with personal responsibilities.
If there is no or little discipline but lots of love the child will not appreciate the love he received and will grow to be selfish, extremely materialistic, and dishonest (always feeling he was cheated in life). This is the type who are always blaming everyone else for their problems and they can't be trusted.