Brad and Angelina and Jackie O.

You would think that money gave you some sense…especially in a divorce. It really does not matter if both work in an office or are movie stars…some people just do not put their children first. There is no good reason that a stranger, a judge appointed to hear your case, should decide the fate and parenting time of your children. And, please do not paint both sides of such a dispute with the same brush. Yes, it “takes two to tango” but it only takes one unreasonable parent to create conflict. Generally, when parties with two fit parents are still arguing, one of them is unreasonable. In Arizona, two fit parents share their children equally if they live near each other. I cannot imagine that with all the experts and input they have from professionals that they cannot figure out a parenting time schedule. It could be different for different children. It could be temporary and one schedule could be used for six months and then renegotiated. And, Mr. Pitt and Ms. Jolie: your children may not remember every single day of their childhood but they will recall the trauma and the conflict of this custody battle. No amount of money can fix this. I am not a California attorney, I am not their attorney, and I have not read their file. I do not know their issues. But I will bet you that if I were involved in the case, I would do my best to convince Angelina to let go of the anger and provide a nurturing environment for Brad. Your children need two sane, non conflicted parents. Do not bring your marriage issues into the childrens’ issues. No amount of money can fix the damage you are causing every single day. Jackie O. once said,  “If you bungle raising your children, not much else you do really matters.”