Angelina Jolie is using this extended time at home to empathize and support parents around everywhere. The Academy-Award-winning actress penned a special edition of TIME’s Parents newsletter as a guest-editor.
“Dear parents,” Jolie begins. “I am imagining how hard each of you is trying to get through your days. How much you want to lead your loved ones through this.”
The mother-of-six (Maddox, 18; Pax, 16; Zahara, 15; Shiloh, 13; Knox, 11; Vivienne, 11) goes on to recount her youth and confess a previously-held belief writing, “I never thought I could be anyone’s mom.” When parenthood did arrive, she admits that it was easy to love and to dedicate herself to another, but the thought of being that one person to make everything okay and perfect was the toughest hurdle to overcome.
“One thing that has helped me is to know that’s impossible,” Jolie wrote. “It is a lovely thing to discover that your children don’t want you perfect. They just want you honest. And doing your best.”
WATCH: Angelina Jolie Reveals ‘None’ Of Her 6 Kids With Brad Pitt Want To Be Actors
Jolie, 44, first became a parent when she adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002. Maddox was then followed by Zahara, who was adopted from Ethiopia in 2005. Jolie and Brad Pitt’s first biological child, Shiloh, was born in 2006. Pax was adopted from Vietnam in 2007. Jolie then gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008.
The Maleficent star has used her experiences as a mother, UN Goodwill Ambassador and philanthropist to become a frequent contributor for TIME. Most recently, Jolie wrote a piece pleading for children’s protection during the coronavirus crisis.
“The profound, lasting health impacts of trauma on children are poorly understood and often minimized. Women who find the strength to tell somebody about their abuse are often shocked by the many people who choose not to believe them, make excuses for abusive behavior, or blame them. They are often not prepared for the risk of being failed by an under-resourced child welfare system, or encountering judges and other legal professionals who are not trained in trauma and controlling abuse and don’t take its effects on children seriously,” she wrote.
Jolie was among many celebrities who donated $1 million to the fight against the global pandemic, with her charity of choosing being No Kid Hungry.
-By Bryce Christian
