Rocco Ritchie’s custodial agreement blew up last December. Rocco had been on tour with his mom, Madonna, for several months when he “ran away” to his dad’s home in London. Rocco has been there ever since, refusing to go to New York to see his mom for Christmas, and refusing to go back to his school in NYC. The whole thing was a mess, and both Guy Ritchie and Madonna were playing everything out in the press. Madonna – more than Guy – seemed to have problems acknowledging that Rocco was and is a rebellious (#RebelHeart) teenager who wants and needs some space from his strict, controlling mother. The whole thing got built up to the point where we were counting down the days to the Guy-Madonna face-off in court, but the court dates got moved around, and when the parties did meet in court yesterday, Madonna, Rocco and Guy were not in attendance. It was just the lawyers. And the judge had little patience for Guy and Madonna’s narcissism too.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s attorneys squared off in court again Wednesday. Per exchanges at the hearing, the exes had apparently neared an agreement outside of court but seemed to have come to blows in the eleventh hour. At the hearing – which both Madonna, 57, and Ritchie, 47, called into to listen on speaker phone – a judge and the exes’ attorneys agreed that Rocco will remain in London for the time being, where he is enrolled in a school chosen by both Madonna and Ritchie, while he lives with his father for the time being.

“No one is disrupting this household . The child is in school; let us try to allow him to go forward in the most normal way,” said New York Supreme Court judge Deborah Kaplan. “We’re not forcing the child to leave school. His mother isn’t asking that.”

Indeed, maintaining a “normal” life for Rocco is one point all parties can agree on. “In almost every conversation, he has stressed to me how stressful [the very public custody battle is],” Rocco’s court-appointed attorney said. “He is going to school now, which is a great step forward, and the parents should be commended that they were able to reach this decision … He’s enjoying himself there; he’s having a good educational experience; the school seems to be a great fit for him.”

And the judge noted she would not yet enforce her order for Ritchie to return Rocco to the U.S., though, as Ritchie’s attorney argued: “Rocco is of an age where he cannot be physically compelled to [get on a plane] back to New York.” Despite this fact, Madonna’s lawyer, Eleanor Alter, argued not returning Rocco was a reckless move in teaching him responsibility.

“He taught his son that obeying court orders … is not necessarily important. That is one of the most serious things that has happened in this court,” Alter argued.

Coming to a compromise has been a feat for the couple, who have a strained relationship. While the exes’ and Rocco’s attorneys have yet to come to an agreement regarding his custody, all three agreed that it is best to keep him as much out of the spotlight as possible and, if possible, settle the matter out of the courtroom.

“I’m encouraging the parents to continue to resolve this matter in the best way possible for the child to take this tremendous pressure off their son,” the judge said.

Madonna and Ritchie are expected in New York court for their next hearing this summer, tentatively scheduled for June 1, after Madonna’s camp amend their complaint and Ritchie’s and Rocco’s lawyers have time to review the amendment.

[From People]

Previously, the weeklies reported that Madonna was trying a different tack with Rocco –instead of bitching about Guy in the press, Madge was talking to Rocco privately, and promising him that things would be different if only he would return, and she could learn to be less strict and controlling. But I find it interesting that “the exes had apparently neared an agreement outside of court but seemed to have come to blows in the eleventh hour.” Yeah, because that’s the point of this exercise at this point – it’s a chance for Guy and Madonna to re-hash all of their old grudges. The judge even called them out on it, saying that “Frankly, both parties have chosen to live their lives in a very public way and may welcome the publicity, but the child has not. He would like this matter resolved and the issues concerning him and his family in the most private way possible.” Ouch. To make matters worse, Madonna’s lawyer apparently asked the judge to have Guy arrested for contempt of court. Classic.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.