Often, the celebrity family law news feed is filled with nasty custody battles and fights over money/assets. After all, that's probably more interesting than learning that a celebrity couple is amicably divorcing. Every once in awhile, however, there comes a story that isn't about the fights but, rather, is about the former couple working together for the benefit of their children. While this may not sell as many magazines, it can serve as an example of how to put differences aside for the children's best interests.
One such example is the former custody arrangement of the children of O.J. Simpson and the late Nicole Brown Simpson. With the twentieth anniversary of the murders this summer, there have been many "where are they now" articles, but little information about the children. In a recent article on radaronline.com, Brown's sister, Tanya, talks about the children, Justin and Sydney, describing them as "professional," "having gone to college," and "happy." O.J. Simpson's Kids 20 Years Later, by Melissa Cronin, radaronline.com, June 10, 2014.
It wasn't always so easy, however. After Simpson was acquitted, custody was split between him and the Brown family, and they were forced to be in constant contact with each other. Tanya describes how she "had to go and pick up the kids at the house where he lived, and I saw him. It was hard for me but I did it." She further said, "I had to put on the face because this is their dad. They will always love their dad. I choose to respect that."
Tanya Brown's grace in handling shared custody with her sister's alleged murderer is something not many people would be able to do, but it is something to be admired. Her actions, and those of the rest of the Brown family, in handling custody are most likely a major reason that Justin and Sydney are so well adjusted today.