When a couple with children make the decision to get a divorce, one of the biggest points of contention can be hashing out a custody agreement.
It can be challenging for parents to come to a compromise, but in the end they need to put the best interest of the child first.
This can be more complicated for celebrity parents, who may have hectic schedules ranging from going on tour to filming a movie on the other side of the world.
But while most people try to adapt to these changes, one A-list actor has made no attempt to contact his daughter, despite having ample opportunity to.
"Every person is allowed to see their child if they wanted to."
When former Hollywood "It" couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorced in 2012, fans wondered what it would mean for their then-three-year-old daughter Suri.
It was eventually revealed Suri would no longer practice Scientology, the religion the Top Gun star is famously known to be devoted to.
And while Cruise can see his daughter 10 days a month, a source told Us Weekly he's made no effort to see the 12-year-old in years.
"Every person is allowed to see their child if they wanted to," the insider explained. "He chooses not to because she is not a Scientologist."
Tony Ortega, former editor in chief of The Village Voice and a critic of Scientology, said Holmes most likely signed "some nondisclosure agreement saying she wouldn't say anything bad about Scientology" during their divorce proceedings.
"She wanted to get away and she wanted to get [fully custody of] Suri," Ortega explained, adding that the Church requires its members to "disconnect" from people who have left the faith.
But despite the estrangement, it's reported Suri still trying to forge a relationship with her father.
Back in July, it was reported Suri had sent Cruise "several letters and recorded many voicemails" in an effort for them to reestablish their relationship.
"He wants her to know that he's thought of her all this time."
Although Cruise - who's said to have a healthy relationship with his two older children Connor and Isabella - has yet to personally respond to Suri, he wants his daughter to know she's loved.
"He's contacted Suri through a third party, who he trusts implicitly, to check in and make sure she's OK," an insider told OK! Magazine.
"He wants her to know that he's thought of her all this time and he got all of her messages. In fact, he read and listened to each and every word. Tom's paving the way to come back in Suri's life permanently and many expect it to happen soon."
But despite the reported plans Cruise has for reentering Suri's life, he failed to show up to another one of her birthday parties back in April.
"Like any little girl, her greatest wish is for her father to be there, and now she's been disappointed again," an insider told Star magazine, adding Cruise "has been absent for one milestone after another."
"That would be painful for any child, and you have to wonder what kind of emotional toll it's taking on Suri."
Although Suri has begun to see through Holmes' excuses for the Mission Impossible actor, he at least sends her gifts.
"Suri gets a gift from Tom on her birthday every year and this year was no exception," a source explained. "
It's not something Katie talks about though, beyond saying that Tom does always come through with gifts for things like birthdays and Christmas, she's very tight-lipped."
[H/T: Us Weekly, Hollywood Life]
