Angelina Jolie balances Pax and Zahara

Angelina Jolie, 31, took children Pax, 3 1/2, and Zahara, 2, to the American Embassy compound school and managed to balance both kids. Z is just very adorable with her cute little pout! See more photos at JustJared.

Photo by INF.

Pax wears Stride Rite’s Kids’ Stumpcrusher in navy leather/mesh ($43).

Zahara wears Lacoste Camden Retro sneaker in white/powder pink ($52).

She also wears J Brand Kid’s bootcut denim in ink ($120).

Thanks to CBB reader Jessie.

Comments

Put those children down and make them walk!!!! They are old enough they should be walking! I think it’s funny that she always carries them and the poor thing is really not that big herself, they must be heavy. But I do understand that it’s much faster and easier sometimes than waiting for them to walk.

- Meela on June 1st, 2007

I just LOVE Zahara’s expression on this pic!he he!

- popi on June 1st, 2007

What an adorable picture!! Zahara is too cute, I could eat her! Carrying kids is good for them. Physical contact with children at an early age has very benign long-term effects.

- NausicaaofWind on June 1st, 2007

she’s carrying the children?? omg what horrible things would she do next?? somebody think of the children!

- stephanie on June 1st, 2007

That is the cutest expression Zahara has on her face there!

- Jenna on June 1st, 2007

Why should she put them down? My daughter is almost six and I pick her up from time to time. Unfortunately, for me there will come a time when I can no longer carry her and worst yet she will not want me to carry her. So I say Angelina carry your babies for as long as you can!

- Suzie's mom on June 1st, 2007

If I was being followed constantly by a crowd of photographers, you can bet I would never put my kids down either. Who knows who is out there ready to grab them, or if they might get trampled or scared.

- heather on June 1st, 2007

ITA with NausicaaofWind and Suzie’s mom. Carrying children around is one of the best things a parent can do. My son LOVED being picked up even if it was only for a short while, like a couple of minutes. I didn’t drive back then and I remember, at the bus stop he always automatically wanted to be picked up.

- pink.lioness on June 1st, 2007

Totally agree with Suzie’s Mom – Angelina carry those kids as long as you can…get as many hugs and kisses as you can, too! It’s the best thing about being a mommy!!

- Maria on June 1st, 2007

My twins are almost 4 and when I pick them up they always tell me to put them down. They are such big boys now that mom can’t carry them.

- Amber Smith on June 1st, 2007

I guess I don’t understand what’s wrong with carrying kiddos. It doesn’t hurt or hinder them in anyway so what’s the big deal I guess?

Also, how do they pronounce Pax’s name? Is it like ‘Pox’ or ‘Packs’?

Packs.

- Emi on June 1st, 2007

The kids are cute and there’s nothing wrong with carrying them still. My concern right now is her weight. I’m sorry but I think Angelina Jolie is getting entirely way too skinny. She really looks like skin pulled over bone now and I think it makes her look sickly and less attractive. She does not look healthy at all.

- Heather on June 1st, 2007

Angelina has always been thin. Granted, she could stand to gain 15 more pounds but I think the loss of her mom, running around with 4 kids, doing promotion for movies, and working in Prague has to be somewhat tiresome. Even if she does have nannies, she still seems to be very hands on mom. I think the one year break she’s going to take at the end of the year will do her some good.

Besides, TMZ showed the video of this outing to school and Angelina had absolutely no trouble carrying Zahara and Pax. She’s way more stronger than she appears.

- Syd on June 1st, 2007

Here are my comments.

1. for most photo-ops, Jolie is seen carrying these adopted kids.

2. Jolie will be carrying them even when they are 12. Offensive to treat adopted kids for ‘show’.

3. One commentator is correct. Let the kids walk. Are they crippled that Jolie needs to carry them? Abnormal behavior, unless of course, the photogs are taking pictures of “Mother Theresa Jolie” caring for her ‘kids’.

4. Where is Shiloh? Do we have to pay to see that beautiful child?

Shiloh is in daddy’s Pitt’s movie, The curious life of Benjamin B. so how much does shiloh get paid?

5. Believe me, Jolie n Pitt know EXACTLY what they are doing.

6. After the photo-ops of them ‘helping the poor n starving’…it is offff on to their jet plane, and soon, their MILLION dollar yacht.

7. I find their behavior offensive.

- M on June 1st, 2007

She still managed to look beautiful.

- yolanda on June 1st, 2007

Meela- Around the time of Shiloh’s birth, Angie and/or Brad mentioned that Zahara suffered from rickets as a baby (remember, she was a very sick little girl when Angie adopted her, and her main problem was malnutrition, which is the main cause of rickets), and recent photos of her show evidence that she is bow-legged in at least one leg as a result. Therefore, she probably cannot walk very well, which is probably why Angie carries her a lot. As for Pax, even though he seems to be adjusting well, I am sure he is still quite clingy (Angie even said that he still gets scared if she’s gone for more than a few hours), and probably wants and needs his mommy to carry him a lot.

Heather- I certainly don’t that Angie looks unhealthy at all. I can’t see a sickly or unhealthy person at all in this picture! And she definently doesn’t look like “skin pulled over bones”. In fact, compared to a lot of other celebs, she actually looks amazingly healthy and not skin-and-bones-thin. As Syd said, Angie has never been a very big person to begin with, and recently she has been through a lot of stress. It’s not that surprising that she’s probably lost a little weight.

- Annoynomus on June 1st, 2007

I almost forgot to add this: Can Zahara get any cuter? She and her sister Shiloh are two of the prettiest celeb babies I have ever seen! They both seem to get cuter everytime we see them!

- Annoynomus on June 1st, 2007

I love this family. Zahara is so cute with that impression on her face. And Pax looks so cute too. Does anyone know how you pronounce Pax’s second name: Thien?

- noortje on June 2nd, 2007

Tee-en.

- Kaisa, CBB contributor on June 2nd, 2007

guess I don’t understand what’s wrong with carrying kiddos. It doesn’t hurt or hinder them in anyway so what’s the big deal I guess?

_________________

It seems it is only wrong when Angelina does it… I’ve seen many celebs, with children several years older, holding their kids.

BTW, if you saw the video on TMZ, they are walking up a steep incline, making walking difficult for little ones.

- leni on June 2nd, 2007

Who cares if she is carrying the kids!!!

Leni – I have to disagree with you, this is not true, EVERY single time they have a picture of parents carrying their kids or having them in a stroller over a certain age, no matter WHO the parent is there is ALWAYS at at least one comment. So while it is annoying that someone always feels the need to criticize something like this, don’t make it out as POOR Angelina she is being picked on.

- Diana on June 2nd, 2007

Diana, I have to disagree with you. I do think Angelina gets picked on. I just went down this entire first page and read every comment under pictures of a parent carrying his/her child, over age 2. Not one, not a single one criticized a parent other than Angelina Jolie to “Put those children down and make them walk!!!!”. This covered The Arquettes, Julia Roberts and Danny Moder, The Afflecks, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber who was carrying their 5 1/2 year old Kaia. So I have to agree with leni on this one.

- Marisol on June 2nd, 2007

I have to agree with Leni, too. Angie DOES get picked on, and not just for carrying her kids. It seems that, in just about every post about her, she gets picked on about something. Not only that, but at least 99 percent of the time it is something that no other celeb would probably be picked on about. Here are just some of the things she gets picked on about:

-Calling Shiloh a “blob” (when it was the interview that suggested it in the first place, not Angie herself!)

-Not loving Shi as much as her adopted kids because she does not hold her as often as she holds them (even though we have seen plenty of pictures of her holding Shi!), mentioned that she was less inclined to feel for her, etc.

-Heading off to Prague to film Wanted only a month or so after Pax’s adoption, and after saying she’d stay home and help him adjust.

-Adopting/having kids so close together.

-Releasing photos of Pax to the media just days after his adoption.

-Calling Z a “smartass”.

and, of course, the classic:

-Breaking up Brad and Jen’s marriage.

Honestly, the only celebs I see criticized and picked on more than Angie are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

- Annoynomus on June 2nd, 2007

Haha, she called Z a smartass? I’m sorry for anyone who doesn’t think that’s funny, it just cause it reminds me of my mom and I when I was little. I was so opinionated at that age as well. One time my mom called me over to her when she was with a friend and asked “What does Mommy call you?” (thinking I’d say sweetie-pie or babyface like she normally did) and I replied calmly, “A pain in the ass…” LOL

Love this family and I think she is a terrific mom! You hold onto those babies Angie!!

- jackie on June 3rd, 2007