Angelina Jolie has spoken about raising her six children, saying they are “definitely individuals” and that one of the most important things as a parent is knowing when to step back.
In a new interview with L’Officiel, published on Wednesday, the 51-year-old actress said she is proud that her children are following their own paths.
“One of the most important things, I think, is to basically not get in their way,” Jolie said.
She explained that parents should support their children while recognising that they are separate individuals with their own lives and potential.
Jolie shares six children with her former husband Brad Pitt: Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
Now that all of her children are adults, Jolie said she is looking forward to spending more time pursuing her own interests, including travel and field work.
“I really love and am looking forward to more connection and community,” she said, adding that she is not someone who enjoys vacations or shopping. She said she wants to travel, work in the field and “get my motorcycle back” and return to flying.
Jolie said her children support her plans.
“That’s definitely what my kids want!” she said. “They had Mom when Mom needed to be Mom. Now, they’d like me to call them from Tunisia having just landed a plane to meet with local artists.”
The Maleficent star also said she would like to live outside the United States and remain “nomadic for a while”.
“I’m going to get back to doing more hands-on work with my foundation in Cambodia and my field work,” she said. “I don’t really plan to have a base.”
Jolie’s comments come amid continued attention surrounding her family. Maddox, Shiloh, Zahara and Vivienne have all taken legal steps to remove Pitt’s last name.
A source previously told Page Six that Jolie does not want to fight Pitt and “isn’t angry”, adding that she wants everyone to heal.
Meanwhile, Pitt has spoken publicly about struggling with the aftermath of his divorce from Jolie.
In an interview with Esquire last month, he said he had felt suicidal while dealing with “family stuff” a decade after their split.
