It is highly unlikely Dylan's wishes would have mattered to the judge one iota when it came to visitation, not custody, but visitation in my opinion. All parents have a constitutional right that often supersedes a child's wishes or desires (not to be confused with legal presumption of best interest).
Unless there was an overwhelming reason for not allowing Dylan to be left alone with Mark (like Mark having an open warrant for murder, child sexual assault or a long and well documented history of child abuse) the judge acted according to the actual black and white family statutes. He balanced what the state's perception of best interest of the child is (the access to both parents) and the rights of both parents as afforded by the constitution. FTR, I've read accounts of parents plagued by forcing 16 and 17 year olds to court-ordered visitation too. As a custodial parent you are required to abide the court order or risk damaging your own custodial status, fines, contempt, etc.
So how Elaine and even Dylan felt about such visitation is really a moot point at least legally in my opinion. Dylan just not wanting to visit Dad, or even not liking Dad, wouldn't be enough to sway a court against visitation without trampling Dad's rights.
