Co-Parenting Isn’t Easy
Being a separated parent can be difficult, most of all for the kids. Parents need to learn how to work together and not put children in the middle of their conflicts.
Halle Berry took Gabriel Aubrey to court on November 26, 2014, over concerns that he straightened and highlighted their daughter’s hair. The couple share joint custody and guardianship of their 6-year old daughter, Nahla.
The Daily Mail, who obtained a report of the court application, reported that Ms. Berry did not want Mr. Aubrey to straighten or lighten Nahla’s hair because it would could cause her “potential psychological and physical damage – and could cause her to wonder why her natural appearance is not good enough.” (Nov. 27, 2014). The Los Angeles Court has since ordered that neither parent alter her hair.
A few weeks prior to this dispute, Ms. Berry asked the court to cut her child support payments by over 76%, to $3800 per month. She had been ordered by a Los Angeles Judge ordered to pay Mr. Mr. Aubrey $16,000 per month in child support just 5 months earlier.
The average rent for an apartment within 10 miles of Los Angeles is $2068 per month (www.rentjungle.com).
Halle Berry’s net worth is estimated to be between $70 Million and $80 Million Dollars. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in the film Monster’s Ball, and an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award for her performance in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
Gabriel Aubrey is a Canadian model with a net worth estimated at $4.5 Million. He became famous for modeling fashion for Tommy Hilfiger, Gianni Versace, and Calvin Kline.
The former couple has had a number high profile disputes over their parenting arrangements for daughter Nahla, since they separated in 2010.
Mr. Aubrey successfully prevented Ms. Berry from re-locating to France with their daughter in 2012. Ms. Berry’s current husband, Olivier Martinez, is from France. She and her husband now have a 1-year-old son together.
Mr. Martinez and Mr. Aubrey engaged in a physical fight when Mr. Aubrey dropped off his daughter at Berry’s home on Thanksgiving 2012- around the time of the re-location dispute.
Aubrey was initially charged with assault, despite his broken ribs and black eyes. Those charges were later dropped, and Mr. Aubrey successfully filed for a protection order against Mr. Martinez.
Where one parent wishes to re-locate with the child, conflict is often heightened. These situations often become more intense when the parent’s new partner gets involved.
Cases such as this require more legal representation due to the risks of reduced parenting time, and due to impaired communication between the parents. They can also benefit from a Parenting Coordinator, who serves as a go-between and an arbitrator for parenting decisions.
Jayne Embree M.A.
Divorce Coach and Child Specialist
Jayne holds a Masters in Psychology and is a highly experienced Divorce Coach and Child Specialist. Currently on sabbatical, Jayne is conducting research in the area of family dynamics and parental conflict.
Areas of Practice: Family law including separation, divorce, mediation, arbitration, child & spousal support, support variations, guardianship, parenting time, access, property division and more. Victoria BC