Brad Pitt has won many accolades over the course of his career but his biggest victory has been his family.
Most fathers want a good relationship with their children and a happy family, but some find it hard to achieve the balance and evolve from past mistakes. Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt has had a difficult few years since his divorce with Angelina Jolie. Even his relationship with his children, especially his oldest son Maddox, suffered since the couple went separate ways. However, the Troy actor has worked hard towards making amends towards his son and other children.
Maddox was adopted by Jolie in 2002 but after the A-list couple fell in love, Pitt adopted him, too. Jolie's son accepted Pitt as his father according to an interview with Vogue by the Tomb Raider actress in 2007.
"It’s a big thing to bring together a child and a father," Jolie told Vogue. "It had never crossed my mind that Mad was going to need a father—certainly not that it would be this man I just met. Until, of course, I got to know Brad, and realized that he is naturally a wonderful father. And we left a lot of it up to Mad, and he took his time, and then made the decision one day. He just out of the blue called him Dad. It was amazing … That was probably the most defining moment when he decided that we would all be a family," she added.
For years, they were the hottest couple and their beautiful family grew steadily to eight. However, towards the end of their marriage, Pitt's relationship with not only his ex-wife but also his children suffered.
During a flight from Nice, France, to Los Angeles in 2016, Pitt had too much to drink and he got into an argument with Maddox, according to Cheatsheet. A while later, Jolie wanted to separate from Pitt. He lost custody of his children and has had to claw back step by step to be in their good graces.
While he's a devoted father, he had to undergo many investigations and he was in the clear. To show his devotion, he went through anger management classes, Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, and therapy. He told GQ in 2017 that the pain he suffered was "self-inflicted." He admitted that he drank too much and wasn't there for his children as much as he wanted to.
"I'm personally very retarded when it comes to taking inventory of my emotions. I'm much better at covering up. I grew up with a father-knows-best/war mentality—the father is all-powerful, super strong—instead of really knowing the man and his own self-doubt and struggles. And it's hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven't been great at it," he said.
A source told People, that the Oscar winner has "worked very hard on himself to be a better, healthier person and to be the best dad possible… These were always his priorities. That his career is going well is a happy bonus that he is thrilled about."
And, it seems that his efforts are bringing fruits. Finally, in the summer of 2019 he got to spend more time with his children. "Angelina is going to be spending a lot of the summer filming Those Who Wish Me Dead, so she reached out to Brad and offered him the chance to look after the children. This is a massive step for them and the children, who have only had limited time with Brad since the break-up. It feels like a really positive move all round and Brad is over the moon," a source told the Sun.
He had invited his parents to stay with him while the children where there so they could have some quality family time together. Apart from this, he has made changes to his diet and lifestyle, which has improved his overall wellbeing as well. His latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, won him nominations and the Golden Globe in 2020.
His son, Maddox, went to study in South Korea, where only Jolie went to drop him, and while his eldest thinks of himself as only Jolie's child now, as per Us Weekly, we hope Brad lives up to his promises and Maddox comes around to accept him soon.
References:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9506372/brad-pitt-breakthrough-divorce-angelina-jolie-kids/
https://www.gq.com/story/brad-pitt-gq-style-cover-story
https://joliepittpress.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/vogue-january-2007/
https://people.com/movies/brad-pitt-big-return-life-now/
