Angelina Jolie says she's "so lucky" to be a mom

There is a certain level of acceptance by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt of the paparazzi swarm which accompany them wherever they go, and for the most part — Angelina tells Parade in a new interview — their four children seem to be equally accepting.  While the family "makes it a point not to let it change anything," Angelina said that Maddox Chivan, 6 ½, Pax Thien, 4 ½, Zahara Marley, 3 ½, and Shiloh Nouvel, 2, are still sometimes negatively impacted by the constant media coverage.  "It’s hardest when the kids just want to go somewhere they can’t," Angelina says, "I’ve had so many people offer to take them to Disneyland or other places we just can’t go."  Still, the 33-year-old soon-to-be mom of twins keeps it all in perspective, noting that "there are worse problems to face in your life."

The family has no plans to put an end to its globe-trotting ways anytime soon, with Angelina revealing that the kids "really seem to like traveling."  When they’re away from home, Angelina says that she and Brad "try to never have them with too many things" so that their children, in turn, get more out of their foreign surroundings.

We make a point of saying like, ‘OK, in this place, we have video games. But we don’t have video games in any of these other places.’ I think especially with young kids you can make the differences of the world not uncomfortable and not weird but actually really exciting and really cool and fun.

While she said she hopes that Maddox and Pax will someday think she is "so cool" when they "finally see Wanted" — her new action film in which she plays an assassin — Angelina said it’s her role as their mom that will always take top billing.

I see myself as mom first. I’m so lucky to have that role in life. The world can like me, hate me or fall apart around me and at least I wake up with my kids and I’m happy.

Source: Parade; Photo by Dominique Charriau/WI/WireImage.com. 

Comments

she seems to be an amazing person

- carla on June 28th, 2008

Four kids? Did Angelina lose one along the way? Count the kids’ names, and you’ll count five, not four.

- Robin on June 28th, 2008

When it comes Angelina, I take the validity of an interview with a grain of salt. Are you sure this isn’t a cut and paste job? A few of these quotes mention things she spoke about a year ago. The comment about Disneyland and her mom aging gracefully are from interviews when she was promoting The Good Shepard and A Mighty Heart.

- Just wondering on June 28th, 2008

I don’t get it – why can’t they go to Disneyland? They seem to go everywhere else just fine. Do they think they will be especially harassed in Disneyland? I don’t get it. Doesn’t Disneyland rent out the park after hours for events? I seem to vaguely remember some celebrity doing that…

- Jen on June 28th, 2008

So, sometimes they get video games sometimes they don’t! I think she’s super selfish when it comes to raising her kids. All the traveling and not having any friends just so she can be with them every second she’s not working. I honestly think she doesn’t make any sense.

- Jess on June 28th, 2008

Jen- Even if they rented the park after hours, they’d probably still be swarmed by the paps. As we’ve seen, it’s bad enough for them when they go out in places like New Orleans, New York, and even France and Prague (In Prague, the poor kids even got snapped by the paparazzi going to school practically everyday). However, in a place like Disneyland, even if they were there after hours, it would probably be ten times worse.

- CelebBabyLover on June 29th, 2008

Her last quote about waking up with her kids is exactly how I feel. I love her outlook on parenting.

- Lorus on June 29th, 2008

I didn’t quite understand the Disney World Comment either. How many countless big celebrities have we seen pictures of at DW, and they don’t seem to be bothered by the publicity. They still go despite the paps, I guess I am just a little confused why she can’t take her kids.

Anyway, I love Angelina, and the compassion and love she has for her children really shines through her. I can’t wait to see Wanted! Has anyone seen it? What did you think?

- Elyse on June 29th, 2008

It does sound like a cut and paste interview.I know i’ve read those two quotes before.

Anyway I think Disneyland might be too dangerous for them because of the huge crowd .I remember on numerous occasions how crowd of people freaked out and stared gathering and screaming around the kids.Watch paparazzi videos of them in new york or in Cannes with the kids.It’s so scary. Add the paparazzi and it’s way too much to deal with I guess.

The problem for those kids is that they’re way too much exploited by the media (Shiloh has several tabloids covers for goodness sake!) and people consider they’re public properties and take their picture and harass them even if they’re not with their parents.

- Jade on June 29th, 2008

I agree that this is a cut and paste job. A couple of those quotes are from last year. But I don’t see them going to a place like Disneyland. Just seeing the overreaction of the public, not just paparazzi, when they went shopping with Maddox and Shiloh in France shows the danger that is possible for them.

I hope they don’t rent out the entire park as that would show selfishness, not having or not having video games. (That quote is from an article in People at the end of 2006, so it is out of context). One of the photos I like best (that shows her point about not making a fuss) is showing the children (and Brad) playing in a box in the back yard in Prague, just like every other child who likes the boxes more than the toys. I also like her attitude about trying to raise their children. Thanks.

- Toni on June 29th, 2008

JESS, those are her kids. What gives you the right to call her selfish? Some people really do irk me with their superficial comments.

- LALA on June 29th, 2008

You see celebrities like Melissa Joan Hart go there but when’s the last time you see Tom Cruise or Britney taking their kids to places like that? They can barely grocery shop in peace.

When Victoria Beckham took Brooklyn and Romeo to Disneyland just before they moved to the US, they were crowded by so many people, they couldn’t move. One of them even got so close, he hit Romeo’s head with a camera, causing the boy to cry and Victoria to scream at the pap to leave them alone. I’ve been a fan of hers for a decade and she very rarely lose her composure in public, much less scream at a paparazzi.

I imagine it would be even more difficult for the Jolie-Pitts, with the amount of kids they have. Like Jade said, just look at the videos and pictures, especially the latest one of them shopping in France. And they just had Shiloh and Maddox with them.

- stephanie on June 29th, 2008

You can’t compare the public and media reactions to the Jolie-Pitts, Cruises, Beckhams, and Britney Spears to other celebrities. So for me the argument that other celebrities take their children to Disneyland so why don’t they, doesn’t hold water. Most celebrities don’t have 50 photographers camped outside thier homes every single day. Most celebrities aren’t chased by dozens of cars every time they leave their home.

There is a video of Angelina, Maddox and Shiloh leaving a NYC store. A crowd of 1/2 paparazzi and 1/2 regular folk had gathered outside waiting to get a look at them. When Angelina walked outside with the kids, the crowd actually cheered and clapped. This is New York City where celebrities are a dime a dozen. New Yorkers pride themselves on being nonchallant(sp?) when it comes to actors. I know for a fact the crowd wasn’t filled with tourists because my friend was part of the crowd and was hamming it up with the other New Yorkers waiting for Angelina to come out. I’m not saying Disneyland is impossible but I do question how much fun would the kids really have hugging Mickey with 100s of cameras pointed in their faces.

- Faith on June 29th, 2008

If they didn’t sell their private life they might be able to have one. I don’t even know what many famous people’s children look like but could pick this lot out in a line up. Princess Diana managed to take her children to a theme park, I am sure the mother Teresa of Hollywood could do it if she thought she looked thin and important enough.

- Lisa B on June 29th, 2008

I just went and watched the video Toni was referring to (the one of Angie and Brad taking Mad and Shi shopping in France)…and she wasn’t kidding. The public definently DID overreact! At one point in the video, Shi was walking around in the store (with Brad close by!), and suddenly a woman let out a shriek of delight. That shriek was so loud that it even startled me! I literally jumped about a foot into the air! I can’t even begin to imagine how poor Shiloh must have felt when she heard it!

Then several other people joined in the shrieking, and Brad quickly came to Shi’s rescue and picked her up. Believe me, that video leaves absolutly no question as to why Angie and Brad usually carry their youngest kids!

I don’t know if I’m allowed to do this, but if anyone’s interested in seeing the video for themselves, here’s the link: http://www.truveo.com/Brad-Angelina-with-Shiloh-Maddox-Cannes/id/4151709418

- CelebBabyLover on June 30th, 2008

Just watched the video. Toni, CelebBabyLover – I agree with you both. How scary for those kids. If Angie wasn’t pregnant I’d have half expected her to pick Mad up too. To have people (paps and regular folks) feel they have the right to mob people like that is just plain crazy. I know how nervous I get in large crowds about loosing my older boy (my hubby carries the younger boy) that I put a death grip on the poor kids hand. I’d probably carry him if I had to walk in a crowd like that when they are all trying to get close to us. The shrieking over Shi startled me too. It’s like the poor baby is one of the Beatles or something.

- kris on June 30th, 2008