Angelina Jolie Reflects On Failing At Being A Stay-At-Home Mom, ‘I’m Not Good’

Over the last year, Angelina Jolie has learned a lot about herself and her role as a mother. The actress and activist, who shares six children with estranged husband Brad Pitt, revealed the coronavirus pandemic has forced her to reflect on her skills as a parent.

In the March issue of British Vogue, Jolie opened up about her new normal with kids Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and twins, Vivienne and Knox, 12, amid the pandemic.

Many parents have struggled to adapt to full-time tending to their children and Jolie admitted she had no plans on embracing the role of a traditional stay-at-home mom just because she’s stuck in the house.

“I was never very good at sitting still. Even though I wanted to have many children and be a mom, I always imagined it kind of like Jane Goodall, traveling in the middle of the jungle somewhere,” Jolie told the magazine.

“I didn’t imagine it in that true, traditional sense. I feel like I’m lacking in all the skills to be a traditional stay-at-home mom.”

But Jolie admitted she was lucky to have understanding children, who accept her shortcomings.

“I’m managing through it because the children are quite resilient, and they’re helping me, but I’m not good at it at all,” she said.

“I love them. I feel like we’re such a team. It may sound clichéd, but you love and you try, and even if you burn the eggs, that doesn’t matter in the end.”

Throughout the pandemic, Jolie has been staying in her six-bedroom, 10-bathroom Italianate Revival villa with her children in California. She moved into the Cecil B. DeMille estate in 2017 following her split from Pitt, the New York Post noted.

The mansion, which was built in 1913, sits on 2.1 elevated acres of land and features a 7,500-square-foot main house. There is also a separate pool house, a studio house, and a variety of pathways on the ground. It includes a spacious library, gym and expansive patios.

Although Jolie initially felt obligated to move into the home so the children could be closer to Pitt, she admitted she now enjoys its unique features.

“I felt a little pressure moving in. Like I had snuck into where DeMille and Chaplin would hang out,” she explained.

“I love most that there is no entertainment room, but lots of pathways and places to walk and think. I feel very fortunate we have that at this time.”