Leave Brad & Angelina's Kids Out Of Their Divorce

Well, the world as we know it is officially over. On Tuesday, news broke that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are divorcing, and although the details of their split so far are limited (and mostly unconfirmed), the alleged reason for their breakup is a bit unsettling. According to TMZ, it happened because Jolie was allegedly upset about the way Pitt parented their children, and understandably, that small piece of information has set the internet into a tailspin. It's natural to be curious about what "Pitt's interaction with their children" means, to use TMZ's phrasing, and why it could have led to divorce, but it's also important to remember that it's also none of our business.

Jolie's lawyer has confirmed that she did file for divorce from Pitt in a statement to Reuters: "This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time," said Robert Offer, according to the newswire. Bustle has reached out to Jolie's other lawyer, Laura Wasser, as well as reps for Pitt and Jolie for comment, but has not yet received a response.

Pitt released a statement to People and it focuses on the couple's kids, showing the importance of the children's privacy: "I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well being of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time."

I know what you're thinking: Pitt and Jolie are in the public eye and have always remained open about their relationship and marriage. And who doesn't want answers? I know I do. But that all changes when those answers have to do with their kids. While Pitt and Jolie chose a public life because of their careers, their kids didn't. They were just born or adopted into it, and their parents have put in a lot of effort to shield them from the negative side of being in the spotlight as much as possible, and we should continue to respect that boundary, especially now.

Witnessing the end of their parents' marriage and everything it entails has to be difficult enough for their children without a media storm about what their dad could have done wrong — and even more so that none of these details have been confirmed. Speculating about what Pitt may or may not have done to make Jolie allegedly file for sole physical custody, according to TMZ, isn't OK, especially since it's not like those kids don't have access to the internet. They could very well be reading what's published about their parents, so why make their pain any worse than it needs to be?

Jolie and Pitt aren't the only people involved in their divorce. Their six children are, too, so as more and more details continue to surface in the next few days, it's important to keep that in mind. As heartbreaking as the end to one of Hollywood's most magical fairytales can be for their fans, I can't imagine what it's like as a member of the Jolie-Pitt brood. It's not going to be easy, but maybe it can be a tiny bit less difficult for them if the speculation stops.