London: A British judge has urged pop star Madonna and her former husband Guy Ritchie to resolve their ongoing custody dispute over their 15-year-old son Rocco, warning them of ruining his childhood.

Madonna and Ritchie faced off in court on Monday. The judge ruled that Madonna can drop her legal proceedings in London so that the legal battle can continue in the US judicial system, reports people.com. However, the judge did not rule over whether Rocco should return to New York to be with Madonna. 

The British High Court judge, Alistair MacDonald, also urged the estranged couple to work together to resolve their differences over Rocco's custody.  "For all the media coverage, comment and analysis, this is a case born out of circumstances that arise for countless separated parents the world over," the judge wrote in his ruling. "I renew, one final time, my plea for the parents to seek, and to find an amicable resolution to the dispute between them." 

"It would be a very great tragedy for Rocco if any more of the precious and fast receding days of his childhood were to be taken up by this dispute. Far better for each of his parents to spend that time enjoying, in turn, the company of the mature, articulate and reflective young man who is their son and who is a very great credit to them both,” the judge added.