Brad Pitt is a 'Hands On' Dad: Source Close to Ex-wife Angelina Jolie Says

While it was a rage-filled altercation on a plane with oldest son, Maddox, that led to the split between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, in the wake of the divorce Brad Pitt quit drinking with the aid of friend and fellow sober actor Bradley Cooper - and is now a doting dad.

According to a source close to Jolie, Pitt spends as much time as possible with the six children he shares with his ex, and recently attended surgeries for two daughters, Zahara and Shiloh. He missed the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTAs), sending actress Margo Robbie in his place, to pick up his award for "Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood."

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Pitt is also very protective of his children - coming to their defense on Twitter - and according to the source, who spoke to Hollywood Life, Pitt enjoys every minute he gets to spend with the kids.

"When the kids go over to Brad's house he makes a point of doing home cooking with them, as well as arts and crafts" the source said. "They have a huge backyard, with a skatepark and all kinds of games, and Brad loves getting outside with them."

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That's a far cry from the 2016 airplane incident from Nice, France to Burbank, Calif. - during which Pitt allegedly got verbally abusive with his family, including Jolie and their children, Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and Vivienne and Knox, 11.

Several videos of the incident were observed, and one source told Us magazine, "Brad is seen yelling a lot during it, but nothing physical."

It was enough for Jolie to call an end to the five-year marriage, although she said that communication problems prior to the event were the catalyst for the split.

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After the divorce - with the encouragement of Cooper, Pitt realized that alcohol was becoming a problem for him, so he joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and was there for a year and a half.

“I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges,” he told The New York Times. "You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard. It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself."

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Being sober has allowed him to be more invested in his family, and in addition to homework and other daily activities, he “talks to the kids about their lives and their opinions — you know, dad stuff," the Hollywood Life source said.

Jolie herself told the UK newspaper The Mirror, "He is a very hands-on father and he loves to make breakfast and drive them to school in the mornings. If I need to work on something I know that he will always be ready to take over."