The news of where (and when) Suri Cruise would spend time with her father, actor Tom Cruise, dominated headlines as the mainstream media braced for what was expected to be a long, drawn out court battle after Katie Holmes filed for divorce. Fortunately for everyone involved (except the media, perhaps) the parties reached a quick settlement on custody and parenting time.
Even though celebrity gossip magazines have generated continuing stories regarding Cruise’s parenting time, the Cruise-Holmes divorce should give parents some insight on how to keep their children away out of marital disputes, even if hoards of paparazzi are not following their every move.
Essentially, parents should avoid projecting their feelings of hurt and anger onto family members and friends. Kids have an incredible knack of learning what is going on with your marriage (or relationship), even if you don’t think they will understand. What they learn from people they commonly see is similar to how celebrities’ marital issues are projected through the media, so it is important for parents to be mindful of their “public” persona.
Also, parents should do their best to avoid public arguments or displays of anger. Not only do children hate seeing their parents fight, it can make them very insecure about their relationships with both parents. They don’t want to be forced to choose sides, and it sets a terrible example for how they should solve relationship problems in the future.
The biggest thing that parents can learn from celebrity divorces is that discretion is the key. It is okay to vent to trusted friends and advisors, so that they can keep kids out of the fray.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com, Celebrity Kids Who Got Caught in the Middle of Their Parents’ Divorces, November 1, 2012