Reese Witherspoon On Custody Over Christmas

Reese Witherspoon divorced ex-husband Ryan Phllippe last year, and as Christmas nears, the two of them are facing a dilemma that is fairly common nowadays - how to share custody of their two children, 9-year-old Ava and 5-year-old Deacon. For Reese, this means having "a lot of communication" with her ex-husband and "just being very open."

"I think the most important thing is to be a grownup," she says, "and not let any kind of feelings affect how you deal with your children. I'm very lucky in that we raise our kids to just be happy. I think the most important thing is the children. What do they want, what makes them feel comfortable?"

Reese's new movie, Four Christmases, which focuses on the challenges of blended families, hit home not only on that front bit also on another - her character at first lacks any parental skills at all, something Reese experienced herself.

"When I first held my baby, Ava, [that] was the first time I'd ever held a baby in my life," she said. "So I understand that sort of fear or not being a good mom. It took me a long time to feel really comfortable in the role of being a mother."

And as for getting married again, Reese says she "doesn't think about it much,"

"I [had] a certain idea what I thought marriage gives. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way so you have to be open to whatever comes your way in life. … Love and relationships take all kinds of shapes and it's not necessarily the ones you recognize."

Photo: Flynet