Brad Pitt Losing War for Kids’ Custody? Angelina Jolie Battles On Her Own Terms

Brad Pitt may be losing the war with Angelina Jolie for joint custody of their kids. So how is the battle going?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s messy divorce has focused primarily on custody of their six children, Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and the 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. According to the narrative, the turning point in the Pitt/Jolie relationship occurred when Brad was accused of getting physically abusive with his oldest son, Maddox.

Since then, Angelina has filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. This particular bit of info is important for two reasons. One, while there are no doubt some sort of legal precedents and lawyer-talk regarding the reason for a divorce, “irreconcilable differences” is the official reason for Angelina Jolie divorcing Brad Pitt, not the safety of the children. That leads to the second reason. Since the divorce officially cannot (or is not) due to child abuse, it must be for some other reason.

It also explains why Jolie is using the children as a weapon against Pitt.

Since the September 14 incident on the airplane where Brad, by his own admission, yelled at Maddox, Jolie has continuously kept Pitt’s contact with the children both minimal and under her control, purportedly for the welfare of their children.

However, Brad Pitt has been cleared by the FBI’s investigation. The Huffington Post reported that FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller stated the following.

“In response to allegations made following a flight within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States which landed in Los Angeles carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation,” and that “No charges have been filed in this matter.”

If Brad Pitt has committed no crime, then why is Angelina Jolie keeping the kids from him, even for Thanksgiving?

A classic tactic in divorces is for one of the parents to use the children as leverage against the other parent, whether intentionally or not. With Jolie dictating the terms of Pitt’s interactions with the children, Brad may be on the losing end of the fight for the custody of the children.

Angelina has filed for sole custody of their six children, while Pitt has filed for joint physical custody.

The old adage, “Possession is nine tenths of the law,” is already playing a role in the custody war. This is heartless, but true. With the initial accusation against Pitt regarding child abuse, the kids could only go to Jolie.

Despite Pitt’s clearance, for the children’s stability, staying with their mother is logical. As a result, Jolie has been able to control Brad’s very limited number of supervised visits with the children. Exterior supervision critically negates the intimacy of family, shoving an outsider into an already tense situation. The result is a less effective connection with Brad to his children during a very difficult time for them.

An additional strike against Brad Pitt in the custody battle is the influence Jolie has regarding the children’s therapy. According to Us Weekly, “His days may only get harder. The Jolie source ­says the children, who are in therapy as per DCFS recommendations, have yet to decide where to spend Christmas. Says the Jolie source, ‘That will be discussed with the therapist as the holiday gets closer.'”

https://twitter.com/PersonalBrad/status/778297332559405056

Brad Pitt spent the Thanksgiving holiday apart from Jolie and the kids.

Looking at the tactics employed in the battle for the children, Brad is losing, and badly at that.

He does not have physical custody of the kids. His visits are very limited and controlled by Jolie. Jolie has influence regarding the kids’ therapist. Despite being cleared, Brad Pitt has the Damocles’ sword of a child abuse accusation over his head.

Should the legal custody battle go to court, Brad Pitt will have to come up with a miracle if he wants to receive joint physical custody of his and Angelina Jolie’s children.

So what do you think is going on with the Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie divorce and custody battle? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

[Featured Image by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images]