The Jolie-Pitt family's crisis

Brad and Ange are clashing over troubled Pax.

For years, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been the poster parents for modern families. Until now. Friends have revealed that Pax, the second-eldest at age eight, has behavioural issues, which may stem from his early years in a Ho Chi Minh City orphanage.

Brad and Ange are now reportedly clashing over how to handle him. “Pax is somewhat of a challenging child,” an insider tells Woman’s Day. And the one bearing the brunt of the problem is his studious brother, Maddox.

“Pax has been taking out his frustrations on him, culminating in ripping up a science project Madd had put together on the solar system,” says our source. “Pax and Maddox’s fights at times escalate into physical ones, which Ange won’t tolerate,” says a close friend of the couple. “But she doesn’t like discipline, so she just separates them.”

This sort of reaction has Brad tearing his hair out. “Brad’s upset with Angie – he accuses her of appearing to treat Maddox as her favourite, leaving Pax feeling excluded,” claims a source. “Angie frequently takes Maddox on solo mother-son bonding sessions, but leaves Brad to deal with Pax. Pax gets sad because he’s left to play with Zahara and Shiloh… But the truth is he’s not often chosen for excursions due to his behaviour.”