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Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor are putting their son first amid their divorce proceedings. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, Cartwright, 35, filed for divorce from her husband of five years,

requesting primary legal and physical custody of the former couple's 3-year-old son Cruz. Now, a source tells PEOPLE that Cartwright's focus is on her son as she and Taylor strive

to become friendly co-parents. "This step has been a long time coming and something Brittany knew she had to do for the best interest of herself and her son in order to move forward and

put a stop to this tumultuous cycle they've been living in," says the source. "Jax is feeling mixed emotions. He knows this is ultimately the right decision but is sad that

things ended up the way they have. It's an emotional month for him and he's trying to stay strong for his son." NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY

NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER​​, FROM CELEBRITY NEWS TO COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES. As Taylor and Cartwright look to the coming months, the

source says they're prioritizing their co-parenting relationship for Cruz. "Their main priority is getting to a place of being amicable co-parents for their son and this next stop

will hopefully move them closer to that goal," they say. A rep for the couple did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. According to documents obtained by

PEOPLE, the former couple's date of separation is listed as Jan. 24 and Cartwright cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the divorce. Cartwright revealed in

February that she and Taylor, 45, were going to "take some time apart" on an episode of their shared podcast _When Reality Hits_. "I know on my last podcast, I alluded to many

marriages go through rocky times," she explained. "Yes, marriages in general are very hard and I've had a particularly rough year this past year. Jax and I are taking time

apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health." _The Valley_ star also shared on the podcast that the breakup was

"still very hard to talk about." "I'm taking one day at a time," she said. "I don’t know what the future holds, but right now my focus is on being the best mom

to Cruz."