Angelina Jolie Admits She's Not the 'Perfect Parent' to Her Six Kids: 'I'm Pretty Tough On Myself'

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You’d never guess it from her Eternals alter ego, but Angelina Jolie is your basic parent who struggles with good — and average — days.

The actress admitted opened up to People for its “Kindness Issue” (on stands October 29) while gushing over the six children she shares with ex-husband Brad Pitt: Maddox, 20, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and 13-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. “They’re pretty great people,” she 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.”

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Jolie adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, then Zahara from Ethiopia, with Pax joining the family from Vietnam in 2007. Shiloh was born in 2006 and fraternal twins Vivienne and Knox followed in 2008. In the past, Jolie has spoken out about the importance of adoption telling Vogue India last year, “All adopted children come with a beautiful mystery of a world that is meeting yours. When they are from another race and foreign land, that mystery, that gift, is so full. For them, they must never lose touch with where they came from.”

Therefore, Jolie takes great interest in her children. “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?” she 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.”

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But that doesn’t mean parenthood is smooth sailing — like any mom, Jolie contends with self-doubt. “I’m not a perfect parent by any means,” she told People. “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 says the right thing?'” That all sounds really relatable!

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