Brad Pitt Wants Joint Custody of Kids, Source Says: ‘It’s What Is Best for Them’

staff@people.com (Dave Quinn)
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With their 12-year relationship and 2-year marriage coming to an end, the question remains: what is going to happen with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s six children?

In divorce documents filed in court by Jolie and obtained by PEOPLE, she asked for physical custody of the couple’s children – Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, Vivienne, 8 and Knox, 8 – asking for Pitt to be granted visitation. She did not request child or spousal support.

But a source tells PEOPLE Pitt will not likely accept sole custody, as “sole custody for either of them doesn’t seem like what’s best for the children.”

“Brad thinks Angelina is a great mother,” the insider says. “But he is also a great father. There is no way he is going to be absent for any part of his kids’ lives.”

While Pitt may want custody, the source doesn’t think the two will be engaged in a long conflict.

“This will ideally be resolved, amicably, long before any sort of legal battle ensues,” adds the insider.

Pitt and Jolie first met on the 2003 set of their 2005 thriller Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and began publicly dating a few years later. The two married in 2014.

In a statement released to PEOPLE following Jolie’s filing, Pitt said his focus is on the “well-being of our kids.”

“I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” he said in the statement. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”

Jolie also released a statement addressing the divorce: “This decision was made for the health of the family,” the actress’ attorney said. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”

Another source close to the situation previously told PEOPLE, “Both Brad and Angelina care very much about their kids and there is sadness on both sides.”

“It should be clear that Angelina is a great mother, and Brad is a great father,” the source said. “It is unfortunate if anybody tries to introduce negativity into what is already a very difficult and painful situation.”