Celebrities are not just like us. That said, there is something to be learned from recent headlines about Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's divorce. The first thing to notice is the relative lack of headlines. For an extremely famous couple, their divorce generated stories for a few days and then largely has been ignored. Newspapers want drama and intrigue, and this divorce offers little of either. The divorce was finalized seemingly in a matter of weeks, with no court appearances. The divorce details seem pretty straight forward, joint custody of the children, a split of real estate holdings and presumably other assets.
The speed of the divorce, and the lack of drama around it, are a great example of how choosing the right process can allow parties to come to a resolution quickly. If one is to believe the papers, Tom Brady did not want the divorce, but nonetheless he appears to have instructed his legal team to make a deal as quickly as possible. We will probably never know what the process was exactly, whether they used mediators, collaborative lawyers or agents to negotiate, but it seems to have worked out well.
Now the family can move on to adjusting to a new structure and schedule. No doubt it will be challenging. In particular I can imagine that it will be hard for Tom Brady to manage seeing his children with Gisele and his child from a previous relationship. He may be rich and famous, but he is still a dad who will struggle with the balance of work and family. That is not easy. But luckily he can focus on how to manage that challenge instead of meeting with lawyers and appearing in court. Likewise Gisele can adjust to her new circumstances.
In stark contrast, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce commenced in 2016. Six years later there is more press coverage of that ongoing dispute than Tom Brady and Gisele's much more recent split. Brangelina's children have grown up not just in the glare of their parents' fame, but have spent much of their youth having the details of their family life publicized via the coverage of their parents' divorce. Presumably the animosity that is showcased in the papers is also a problem in day to day interactions as parents of six children.
It is so unfortunate for both couples, and especially for their children, that their divorces are a source of fascination and entertainment. However, comparing the relative approaches very dramatically showcases the different extremes that are available to couples, and the downside of a protracted, high conflict divorce.
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