The Jolie-pitt Kids Are All Grown Up!
In 2010, Angelina said she hoped her six kids would look back on their childhoods and feel “they were loved and encouraged to be who they are and not pushed into something that they’re not.” Fastforward eight years and Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne are well-rounded individuals who love exploring different languages and an avalanche of other hobbies. But they’re never too old to show dad Brad some love. “He adores it when Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne or Knox come up and hug him,” says a family friend. “And he has a special handshake worked out with Pax and Maddox, who have warmed back up to Brad after the split drama of 2016.”
granting him more time with them a real win in their custody battle. When he found he was getting more quality time with them, Brad cried tears of joy.”
BIG PLANS
Brad has struggled to secure frequent visitation and shared custody. He’s wanted both since his marriage imploded in 2016 and he was subjected to a lengthy LA child services probe that ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing. But now, as he and Angelina prepare to finalize their divorce, “he’s had a number of visits with the kids at his
compound [in LA’S Los Feliz area],” says the family friend. “It’s felt like a major victory for Brad.”
Angelina, 42, is “heartbroken that she won’t be with the kids as much,” says the family friend. “It will be weighing on her as she jets off to London to begin working on Maleficent 2.” But this newer, more conciliatory Angelina has even invited Brad, 54, to visit the brood while they’re in London. “He misses the kids terribly when they’re away,” says the family friend. “He’s made a vow not to be away from them for more than
two weeks at a time.”
When they are together, Brad and the kids relish every moment. “The children have missed the sprawling grounds, the pool and the skateboard ramp at their former home in LA, where Brad still lives. And Brad likes letting them cut loose,” explains the family friend. “But he’s also really taking the time to get to know them as individ- uals.” The kids are ecstatic about having more time with Brad. “They’ve really missed him” ever since his and Angelina’s messy breakup, says the family friend. And while they adore their mom, “they always wanted to be with Daddy as much as possible.”
RENEWED RELATIONSHIPS
Getting sober and being in therapy has only made his
“We’ve been able to work together to sort this out.” Brad, on figuring out custody with Angelina
bonds with the children stronger. At first merely the recommendation of child-services personnel, counseling is now something Brad looks forward to. “I’ve got nothing to hide,” says the star. “We’re human and I find the human condition very interesting. If we’re not talking about it, then we’re not getting better.”
These days, he and the kids are doing a lot of talking about hobbies — from Maddox’s love of filmmaking and Shiloh’s obsession with photography, says the family friend, to Zahara’s penchant for arts and crafts and Knox’s preoccupation with reptiles. “Brad’s become an overnight expert on all of their current passions,” adds the family friend. “And he indulges them.”
A NEW FRIEND
Brad is working to strengthen other relationships, too. A source tells Life & Style that the actor and ex-wife No. 1, Jennifer Aniston, 49, have been reconnecting following the failure of both of their second marriages (she announced her split from Justin Theroux, 46, in February). “They’ve bonded over their woes and impending divorces,” says the source. And as they’ve spent more time together, “Jen has even met some of the kids,” says the source, noting that one face-to-face happened when she dropped by Brad’s home to drop off an interior design book for him. “She found the kids well-mannered, bright and precocious.”
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Brad’s never been more optimistic about his future than right now. “He really feels he’s turned a negative into a positive by getting more time with the children,” says the family friend. “At one point he felt like he’d been frozen out of his family, but lately he’s come back into his kids’ lives in a big way. He’s never going to let them get too far away again.”