What Kim And Kanye's Divorce Means For The Kids
During most of January of 2021, Kim Kardashian carried on with her life without a wedding ring on her finger (via Page Six). Now, after six years of marriage to Kanye West, a lifetime's worth of soap-opera-primed public spectacles in 2020, and having, per US Weekly, a divorce lawyer on retainer for over six months, TMZ reports that Kim Kardashian has finally filed the papers. And while a source told People that Kanye "is anxious and very sad" about the inevitable divorce, he's not contesting it. On the contrary, both Kim and Kanye are knee-deep in amicably working through property settlement agreements, if you believe TMZ's inside information.
Kim and Kanye have a lot of property to split up: Two ranches in Wyoming, a Miami Beach condo, and a Los Angeles mansion figure in their extensive real estate portfolio (via Business Insider). But far more important to the power couple's divorce proceedings will be negotiating time spent with their four children: North, Chicago, Psalm, and Saint.
What will life look like for Kanye and Kim's four children?
The custody agreement, in and of itself, may not be at issue. TMZ's sources say that both Kim and Kanye have agreed on joint legal and physical custody of their kids. But for the time being, at least, reality is different. Kanye seems to be keeping his distance from North, Chicago, Psalm, and Saint, leaving Kim, who is living in Calabasas, as the children's primary caregiver (via Hollywood Life and ET). "Kim has made it clear that Kanye can talk to his children anytime he wants," a little bird told People in mid-February 2021. "Kanye can FaceTime the kids anytime he wants. He hasn't been great about that, but everyone is encouraging him to do it."
If things continue amicably, it's unlikely that their parents' separation will dramatically shake up the rhythm of North, Chicago, Psalm, and Saint's lives. A source recently confirmed to ET that while, due to their ages, the Kardashian-West children might not understand the divorce completely, the situation "isn't new to them." The source further elaborated that "Kim and Kanye have always been so busy traveling and in and out that Kanye not being there isn't shocking [to the kids]."