Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox were married for 11 years and divorced in 2021. They share three sons together, Noah Shannon, 11, Boshi Ransom, 10, and Journey River, seven. Brian also has two other sons, Kassius Lijah, 21, with Brenda Barett Vanessa Marcil (I grew up watching General Hospital!) and 22-month-old Zane Walker with his fiancée, Sharna Burgess. BAG and Vanessa had a lot of issues with each other while raising Kass, which cringingly played out publicly over Instagram last year. I guess Brian and Megan didn’t want a repeat of that situation because according to BAG, they are doing well at coparenting together. During an appearance at Steel City Con in Monroeville, PA last weekend Brian spoke to E! News and shared some secrets for successful coparenting.
The “number one” secret to co-parenting: “The number one,” Brian exclusively told E! News at Steel City Comic Con April 13, “is always make sure that everything is centered around the experience of the kids.”
Accept that the change will affect your kids: “People make a mistake of thinking that they’re gonna do things so the separation doesn’t affect the kids and that’s—of course it’s gonna affect the kids,” he noted. “The only choice you have is how it affects the kids.”
“Pick your battles:” And that’s not to say putting the kids first is always easy for Brian and Megan, who split in 2021 after 11 years of marriage. In fact, he admitted that sometimes it’s important to “pick your battles.”
“The person that you were with that you’re now separated from, you guys are separated for a reason,” Brian continued, “because you didn’t get along. So, you can’t expect to then get along after the fact in raising your kids. So, you have to decide, ‘OK, it’s not about us getting along anymore. It’s about us co-parenting, which is a totally different situation.’”
Megan’s similar sentiments: “I think it’s really important when people separate to never ever disparage the other parent or even in a passive aggressive way, make remarks,” Megan said during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show last fall. “I don’t let anything in my energy like that when I’m around my kids because if I don’t accept and love their father I’m rejecting a part of them because he’s a part of who they are always.”
Avoid the “burden of a war between parents:” Noting that she always makes a point to “be very loving with him and about him” and be “very accepting,” the 37-year-old—who is engaged to Machine Gun Kelly—added, “That gives your children the freedom to be happy because they don’t have to carry the burden of a war between parents.”
Honestly, good for Brian and Megan, having their coparenting sh-t figured out. I remember there being some drama over the boys when they first separated, but it seems like they’ve worked it out. Regardless of how you feel about either of them as people, it’s great that they put their differences aside to successfully raise their boys. I’ve spoken with friends who have divorced parents, and some of them have said that the most difficult part was how their parents still didn’t get along after the divorce because they always felt like they had to pick a side. I also briefly worked at a family law firm, and to see some of the ways that parents fought over their children, money, control, etc. was awful, which is why I didn’t last long in that area of law, lol. Even when divorce is the best and right option, it’s still difficult for everyone involved, so you should always keep in mind what is best for your children and what they’re going through. If what Brian says is true, good on him and Megan for doing that.
Photos credit: JPI Studios / Avalon, Image Press Agency / Avalon, imago stock&people / Avalon