As any separated parent will know, the hardest part about breaking up with your partner is knowing you’ll no longer see your kids every day.
Even when separations are amicable and custody arrangements fair and well-considered, you will still no longer be waking up to see your children every morning or spending as much time with them.
And so when Russell Crowe told an Australian radio show this week that the reason he misses the awards show circuit in Hollywood every January is because that’s when he has his kids – and that’s his priority – he struck a chord with many.
The New Zealand-born actor was giving an interview on the Fitzy & Wippa Breakfast Show and was asked why he wasn’t in Los Angeles rocking the red carpet at the annual awards shows, where he was recognised for his performance in The Loudest Voice.
He replied, “As you know, I’m divorced now, and like many other blokes who are out there listening, I have limited time with my kids. I don’t get to wake up with them every day.
“And I get them every year between December 27 and January, so if you expect me to do anything, anything, I don’t give a sh– what it is in that time that doesn’t include my children, well you can go and whatever.”
Okay, that last part was a little unnecessary but we understand the sentiment that was intended.
The 55-year-old, who recently won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Fox News boss Roger Ailes in the TV series The Loudest Voice, has two children with his ex-wife, Australian singer Danielle Spencer, Charles, 17, and Tennyson, 14.
They live with their mother most of the time, but spend weekends and some holidays with their father when he is in Australia and not working overseas.
The Gladiator star always dedicates the period between Christmas and New Year to spending time with his two sons.
Russell and Danielle with their sons Charles and Tennyson in 2010.
Russell split from Danielle in 2012 after nine years of marriage.
During a 2016 interview, Russell explained how he and Danielle co-parent their two sons.
“They live in Sydney with their mum and if I am in the city I get to have them on weekends,” he told Sunday Style.
Russell owns a property in Sydney’s Rose Bay, as well as a waterfront apartment in Woolloomoolo, and a farm in northern NSW, which was severely under threat during the recent Australian bushfires.
Most of the time, he and his kids stay together in the city.
“The farm is not practical just for a weekend, you need to be there in the school holidays when you really have some time,” he said.
Russell told Sunday Style that he relished being a dad.
“There is nothing cooler than being that close to your kids. One of my greatest fears is that over time they won’t want to spend all of their school holidays there with me. Because that is the best part of my year, when I have them to myself.”
He also revealed that he felt it was important not to ‘spoil’ children.
“You have to make sure they realise what a ‘normal’ experience is and things [like travel] they get to do aren’t because they are special, or because their dad is special, it is just a bit of luck,” he told Sunday Style.
“I will never, ever put them in a situation financially where they don’t have to [earn money] themselves. I’ve told them, ‘I don’t care what you do in your life, but if you do the thing you love, you are going to have much more fun’.”
