Angelina Jolie On Her Six “Individual” Children

In PEOPLE’s 2021 kindness issue – released this week – Angelina Jolie opened up about how she motivates her children to become their best selves. “I’m very honest with my kids. And I’m very human with my kids,” the “Eternals” actress exclusively told PEOPLE.

How Angelina Jolie’s Six Children Inspire Each Other

Being a mom to six wonderful kids is not easy, especially when you’re a single and hard-working mom, but Jolie has finally found the secret formula to raise her kids and still kick some on-screen ass at the same time.

Jolie is not above sacrificing her career to be able to spend more time with her children, as evidenced when she gave up her directing work because it was eating up most of her time.

This week’s PEOPLE issue saw the actress opening up about how her children have grown up and how they’re inspiring each other. The Oscar winner is mom to six children: Maddox, 20, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and 13-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

“They’re pretty great people,” Jolie, 46, told PEOPLE, “and because there’s so many of them, I think they’ve had a very significant effect on each other. It’s not like I’m the head of anything. I’m very honest with my kids. And I’m very human with my kids.”

Jolie explained that she’s very interested in knowing “the different aspects of who they are” when raising them, and her main priority is to “be there to support and develop all the different aspects of who they are.”

Jolie On Being Tough On Herself And Growing With Her Children’s Kindness

Like most mothers, there’s always a moment of self-doubt, and Jolie is no stranger to the feeling. She credits her children for helping her through her worst times with their kindness.

“I have six very individual human beings in my home. I am so excited about all the different stages and feelings and curiosities that they go through. Why wouldn’t you be?” Jolie told PEOPLE. “We’re supposed to help them figure out who they are. And you can’t figure out who they are if you don’t enthusiastically develop with them.”

Jolie admitted to being “tough” on herself when it comes to parenting.

“I’m not a perfect parent by any means,” she said, adding, “Every day I feel like I’m more aware of everything I don’t do right. And I’m pretty tough on myself, because I feel often, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Did I say the right thing?’ “

The U.N. advocate for refugees added, “My children have done many, many loving things. My children’s kindness has been very healing to me.”

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