by Moira Holden
Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon says she faces the same dilemma as many divorced parents on how to solve the custody problem during holidays.
The Oscar winner has two children, Ava, nine, and five-year-old Deacon, with former husband Ryan Phillippe. The couple's divorce came through in June this year.
Reese, 32, told People.com: 'I think the most important thing is to be a grown-up and not let any kind of feelings affect how you deal with your children.'
She says she has 'a lot of communication' with her ex-husband and concentrates on 'just being very open'.
'I'm very lucky in that we raise our kids to just be happy,' she said, during a promotional event in Beverly Hills for her latest film, Four Christmases.
'I think the most important thing is the children. What do they want, what makes them feel comfortable?'
Her character in Four Christmases has to deal with divorced families at Christmas time and has no parenting skills.
Asked about her experience when her first child was born, Reese said: 'When I first held my baby, Ava, that was the first time I'd ever held a baby in my life. So I understood 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.'
She is now dating actor Jake Gyllenhaal, 27. 'I had a certain idea what I thought marriage gives, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way, so you have to be open to whatever comes your way in life,' she said.
'Love and relationships take all kinds of shapes and it's not necessarily the ones you recognise.'
