tiger woods divorce settlementElin Nordegren is expected to file for divorce from Tiger Woods in the next week. According to reports, Tiger will pay Nordegren $750 million, which is a record-setting divorce agreement, as well as give her the home in  Windermere, Florida (outside of which Tiger crashed his car a year-and-a-half ago), an apartment in Sweden, and another unfinished estate in Florida.

The terms of the settlement also grant Nordegren primary custody of the couples' two toddlers: daughter Sam, 3 and son Charlie, 1.

Oh, and Tiger is also allegedly entering into an agreement not to bring any new women into the kids' lives -- or near them -- unless he has remarried.

What?

I completely understand the thinking behind that last bit. It just seems a tad controlling.

Let's say Tiger never decides to get remarried. Let's say he overcomes his sexual addiction and falls in love and has a long-lasting, mature relationship with someone. According to the agreement, he could never introduce his new love to his kids. Or maybe he dates a woman for 5 years here, another for 7 years there. Sorry, can't meet the kids.

That is the very thing to ensure a bad second marriage. Tiger might be so annoyed with trying to balance his life with his new girl and his visits with his kids that he ties the knot too early without really thinking about it.

Presumably Nordegren can date whomever she wants, whenever she wants, and she's under no obligation to get married before she can introduce her paramours to her kids. Yes, yes, yes -- I understand that she didn't cheat on her husband multiple times or even once (as far as we know). I also can empathize with a mom who for whatever reason doesn't want another woman in her kids' lives. But that's life. That's divorce.

It's controlling to say that Tiger can't introduce his girlfriends to his kids. A less restrictive condition is certainly an option, albeit still controlling (must date exclusively for two years; must have Elin's approval to introduce the kids; etc.) -- so why is Tiger agreeing to this at all?

Nordegren's silence. She is supposedly agreeing not to publicly speak about his affairs. Which makes one wonder: What else is there that we all don't already know?

If you got divorced would you agree not to introduce any of your new boyfriends to your kids until you were married?

 

Image via schumachergirl1956/Flickr