A mother and father locked in a bitter legal tug-of-war over their 11-year-old son each urged a puzzled appellate panel yesterday to reverse a lower court’s compromise ruling and grant them full custody.

Noting an arrangement that awarded residential custody to the mother but decision-making authority to the father, Justice L. Priscilla Hall (See Profile) of the Appellate Division, Second Department, asked, "Is that practical, given the history?"