Angelina Rejects Brad’s New Custody Deal
Angelina Jolie is fighting Brad Pitt’s latest efforts to bring more stability to their kids’ lives
The six Jolie-pitt children live in a world with few rules. “The kids are homeschooled by a rotating group of educators and tutors. There is absolutely no routine,” an insider tells In Touch, adding that Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8, who currently live with mom Angelina Jolie, “don’t even have a bedtime. They often stay up very late and don’t wake up until very late in the morning.” For years, their father, Brad Pitt, has felt strongly that “it’s just not a way to raise kids,” adds the insider, “and he wants to put a stop to it, now.”
But Angelina is standing in his way. Though Brad, 53, was successful in pressuring his estranged wife, 41, to finally take their custody battle private on Jan. 9 following months of public legal drama, the exes are still far from finding common ground. “The good news is that they’ve been attempting to come to a custody agreement since Angie finally realized she had absolutely no chance of getting sole custody,” the insider tells In Touch. The bad news? Negotiations are again at a standstill. “Brad is insisting that they enroll the kids in a traditional school in LA,” explains the insider. “But Angie’s team rejected the idea.”
Brad will fight to give the kids more stability. “He wants what’s best for them. His team also proposed that one parent always stay behind in LA when the other has
Brad thinks Angie needs to work on her issues about traditional schools, not take it out on the kids” — AN INSIDER
to go away on a film shoot or out of town for work, which would allow the kids to remain in school,” says the insider. “The kids’ therapists agree that it’s in their interests to live in one place instead of moving all over the world. And they also agree with Brad that the kids should go to regular school because they are missing out on important development in their lives. They don’t have friends, and their entire world is the family, which just isn’t healthy. But Angie won’t budge.”
She prefers their nomadic lifestyle. “Angie says she wants to continue to raise the kids with a global awareness,” says the insider. “She has argued for years that the kids benefit from experiencing different cultures and going with their parents on film shoots. Plus, she hated school and doesn’t think there’s any private school in LA that’s good enough for them.”
Brad is desperate to prove that’s just not true. “He and his team are currently scouting out the best private schools in the LA area, and he wants to involve Angie in the process,” says the insider. “He is hoping she will come around. But if she doesn’t, their entire custody battle will play out in family court.” ◼