Angelina Jolie will appear on Monday’s episode of Anderson Cooper’s talk show – it was pretaped last week. I kind of love Anderson and Angelina together, and I wish he would interview more often. In previous CNN interviews, they’ve mixed it up, talking mostly about Jolie’s UNHCR work and then Anderson always manages to get Jolie to open up about personal stuff. It just seems that they genuinely like each other, which is cute. Anyway, there’s a video clip floating around already of Jolie’s appearance, but I can’t find anything I can embed – you can see the clip here at People Magazine. Here are some just-released excerpts:
Angelina Jolie makes no apologies for her nomadic life with Brad Pitt and their six children. In fact, the world-traveling actress doesn’t even want to think about not living that way.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said wistfully when asked about eventually settling down by Anderson Cooper during an interview set to air on his talk show Monday. She added with emotion, “I don’t want to settle. I love traveling.”
The actress, 36, who won’t rule out a seventh child, also told host Anderson Cooper her children are all on the same page when it comes to moving around – at least for now.
“I will listen, as my mother would have, to them,” she says. “And if they start to complain about it … [But] right now they love it. Right now if they’re in one place for two months they want to know why we’re not getting on an airplane.”
Jolie, who recently made her directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey, says the kids have roots even with their jet-setting lives.
“They really love to travel, and we have certain things that are comforts of home,” she says. “And also, because they’re such a big traveling pack it’s not one child moving around the world and missing friends. There are so many of them they have constant play dates and they’re always together.”
She added, “Because we have traveled a lot, we’re kind of lucky in that we have friends around the world, so if we end up in Budapest or Germany or Africa or Vietnam, they actually call their friends.”
She also admitted, however, that they day may come when the children are ready to live in one place.
“I’m sure they’re gonna say, ‘Mom, let me stay home,’ ” she said. “It’s going to happen and I’m going to cry. We’ll see what happens. They’ll probably all end up living all around the world. My old age will be Brad and I traveling around the world to try to visit our children in random countries.”
[From People]
I kind of hate when Angelina talks about how much the kids love to travel and how they always have each other to play with. Structure is good for kids. Knowing where to call “home” is good for kids. Building friendships outside of their family is good for kids. Having six kids who are constantly in a state of jet lag is bad. I understand the life Angelina and Brad are providing for their kids, and how “different” doesn’t automatically equal “bad” but I think she’s pushing her own ideas about traveling and “being at home in the world” on her children. Don’t scream at me Brangeloonies, but I think that’s one of Angelina’s flaws – not even consistency, not enough structure, and she’s not giving her kids a good enough foundation in their childhoods.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame and Pacific Coast News.
“Um…can I help you?!!!!”
-Queen Zahara
hahahahahahaha.
love her.
Did Brad suddenly become mute in this relationship? He’s their father. He had to have agreed with the plan to take the children everywhere with them. That said…plenty of military and diplomatic kids spend their formative years moving from country to country, and they are fine.
Good point that you make about Brad. They are BOTH responsible for their children’s well-being.
I do agree with the story though that constant “travelling” is a disservice to the children. BTW, I believe these people “travel” far more then military families “move”.
Not on a month by month basis though!
And why does Angie get sunglasses and the kids get to squint at the blinding camera flashes? She looks thrilled to be papped, the poor chirruns look like they’re off to a rock-breaking holiday in a Siberian gulag.
‘…off to a rock-breaking holiday in a Siberian gulag.’ Hahahaha-lady (or dude) I am so working that into a conversation today.
**this** former army brat agrees with your comment! as it is, i feel very depressed when months have gone by without me traveling out of florida! [i do know my brother and my sister claimed to resent it growing up but now all i ever hear them talk about is our fun family travel days]
i just hate when people assume that *EVERY* kid must be raised a certain way… not every kid or family is the same…
Yeah, I’m a grown up ARMY-brat too and I still have to get away every 3-4 months or I get REALLY bitchy. So, off I go I loved traveling then and love it now.
I must say, I’m not an army child or even a diplomat’s child but I went to an international school where my classmates stayed for a couple of months and left, the longest would be around 3-4 years (if you’re not local) and then it’s off to a new country. I’ve also noticed kids who travel around are actually more social, more open to new people, experiences, and one of my good friends can’t stay in the same country for more than 2 years. Is it bad? I don’t think so, I think angie’s kids are very lucky to be experiencing this life, and living in the same place for many years is by no means the only place for a child to grow up.
Let me get my popcorn ready… It’s going to be a long thread
HAHAHA Good said, i had to laugh and i agree 😉
Oooh yeah.
The fireworks from this thread will be seen from outer space lol.
How come the first commenter never shows up?
Kaiser-The kids have friends. Amoung them Marriane Pearl’s son, Chris Cornell’s daughter and Gwen Stefani’s boys. The kids are themselves from different countries so why not explore those countries and learn about different cultures sooner than later? Finally they have plenty of stability they have two parents that are committed to eachother. Why would it be better to have one parent absent for several months while they are off shooting?
I would have loved to travel and have friends from other nations as a kid; but you can have that with a much more moderate travel schedule or frankly, an elite private school.
These kids may have “friends” but it seems like she’s not giving them the opportunity to form any lasting or deep friendships outside of their family (much like how Jolie seems).
And, I don’t like how she makes it seem like it’s a burden or disappointment for her to stay in one place. To me, there’s something a bit off about someone who needs to always be moving somewhere else, but whatever, live and let live.
Instead of you saying she this and she that shouldn’t it be they, as in Brad and Angelina? They are the parents together not just one or the other.
Don’t forget Matt Damon’s girls. Two of his three biological kids were born within months of Shiloh and the twins. Don Cheadle has kids as well. They are all friends. Just because play dates amongst them aren’t reported, doesn’t mean they don’t happen. And Brad has said that they fly the kids’ friends in for special events no matter where they are … so they must ‘have’ them (friends).
but where IS home for them? They’ve never been permanent anywhere. Guesses? maybe France?
I, too, think this might be a flaw. I love her, love Brad and love their family but I do have to admit that the kids ARE probably constantly jet lagged. I hope that she is truly listening to the children and not just listening to her own heart.
I’d have to say though from what I’ve seen of the Jolie-Pitts, they do seem to have their children’s best interests in mind most of the time.
I would’ve loved to have lived this way as a kid, traveling the world, learning languages, experiencing everything. I think they will be very grateful for this lifestyle as adults. But, of course, as teens, they will want to slow down.
when i had good oppor wished has been able gotten them to helped my daughter and children instead of certain others…….
I don’t think droppping in on people who live in Vietnam is the same as playing with the neighbor kids every day. I agree — I keep thinking about photos taken of Michael Jackson and his kids leaving toy stores at 5 a.m. The kids looked so confused, sleep deprived and desheveled. And Michael would always say how blessed they are to be able to do this.
I think you can provide structure for children without keeping roots in one place.
I have a very close friend whose parents were missionaries in Africa and East Asia during her entire childhood. They never lived in a town for more than a year. Often they were the only white and Western children for miles, all their playmates were local kids. My friend grew to be the kindest, most thoughtful, well-rounded person I know (We live in New York City now). She’s actually not even religious anymore, but her parents gave her a foundation to be open-minded and accepting of other people and other cultures.
I find that sometimes the “small town mentality” where everyone is homogenous leads to much more discriminating individuals. Its sort of natural, if you are exposed to different people growing up, then you understand different isn’t a threat, but if you grow up where everyone is the same, different is a threat to the status quo.
Sometimes traveling a lot doesn’t work. I know a few “army brats” who really resent their parents for moving them all over the world.
I think what it comes down to are the values your parents instill in you. I think Brangelina’s kids will be okay. Both parents are really trying to instill the values of openness, empathy, and service to others. I think the kids will end up different than other Hollywood progeny, but different in a better way. I’m more concerned about what a trainwreck Suri Cruise is bound to become. Sad. 🙁
I agree with this comment so much it’s ridiculous.
My response can be boiled down to one thing – a physical place is NOT home. It shouldn’t be. Physical places are not lasting. They are not as secure and permanent as we think they are. Angie and Brad know their children and she freely admits that at some point she knows the kids are going to want to stay in one place. She also admits that when the time comes, they’ll do what is best for the kids. But for right now, everyone is fine and they’re rolling with it.
Exactly!!! My home is not a place. My home is my family and my siblings and has nothing to do with a house. Childhood friendships do fade. I feel like the Jolie-Pitt kids ARE blessed to get to experience what they experience. If I have children, I hope to raise them with as much travel as I can afford.
And you can be best friends with your siblings. There’s no rule against that. They HAVE deep friendships within the family. I think it is beautiful.
My family has always been nomadic and I’ve always been in and out of hospital.
Whenever I finished a hospital stay I’d go back “home” but it was rarely the same house. Sometimes I wish we’d stayed still so I could go home to comfortable familiar surroundings to recover.
We never had the support net of neighbours and close friends either.
@Bermuda Blues- VERY well said. I couldn’t agree with you more.
sorry haters!
Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut inspires praise and controversy:
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/angelina-jolies-directorial-debut-inspires-praise-and-controversy
So, wait…hahahahaha is she saying that she is putting her needs above those of her children?
Mark my word, this family, and I use the term loosely, will do what Jolie wants. Brad doesn’t have an identity and is weak as they come.
Why do you use the term loosely? In a world where families consist of many broken homes, these kids have a loving unit of both a Mommy and a Daddy and are clearly loved and well taken care of.
I get it that you don’t like AJ. But maybe a little perspective might be in order.
Olivia uses the term “family” loosely to describe loving parents of adopted kids because she also uses the term “concubine” to describe an unmarried woman in a relationship with a man. (Well, at least in case of the Jolie – Pitts, she never actually called Aniston “Theroux’s concubine”)
Olivia’s selective 19th century bourgeois social views are a constant source of joy.
I agree too. I think they need a home base. They could still travel, but to have a home that is always home. If that’s all the kids have ever known, then they wouldn’t know what it would be like. Imo.
This is a tough one. I think part of the American insular attitude dictates that kids rarely-to-NEVER travel so on one hand I find it refreshing that she takes the time to show them the world, but it might be too far on the extreme opposite end? I think the kids DO need structure and I guess I wonder how much of this is self-serving–meaning, is she traveling to “show her kids the world” or is “showing her kids the world” a “bi-product” of her humanitarian efforts/political agenda? I don’t know. I still think that lots-bordering-on-too-much traveling is better than NO traveling. Seeing the world is such an important part of shaping who we are (as a country and as individuals). I really think the kind of persepctive/context that we get from visiting other countries/cultures is invaluable…thoughts?
word.
it’s great that they can travel and see many different things….
as teens they will want to calm it down and stay more settled.
they have the life and money to jet around, so why not?
she is running that house and family…but it’s kool…don’t most women run the household everywhere?
haha
I agree with your reasoning. I would have to do more research on child phycology before I could make a more informed judgment and I would probably need to interview the kids too. But, I agree with you travelling and seeing the world is very good for you, but I would wonder if changing it up every few weeks might not be so good. I do know that I didn’t get to travel much as a child and that was a bummer but also I had a large family and pretty much only socialized with my siblings and am still dealing with the affects of not being socialized properly.
Right. I wonder HOW much traveling they’re doing, exactly. I don’t know..I kind of get the vibe that if it was too much she would scale back. I agree with other posters though-age is key. The first time I went to France I was 13 and I think I was RIGHT on the border between loving my time with my family and wanting to get away from them! At 14, it would probably have been difficult for me to deal 😉
Also, are her kids home-schooled/tutored? I saw “army brats” used as an example in above posts-I think the hardest part for those kids was being transferred from new school to new school and having to make friends all over again. It might be different (easier?) if they were home-schooled.*shrugs*
International schools are usually very flexible, my international school used to accept kids in the middle of term for a couple of months and so on if their parents are diplomats, or travelling or missionaries or so on.
They usually move around based on what film they are doing and where it is being filmed! Home is where your family is.
Are they suppose to split up their family for weeks/months while one is on location?
Their kids are seeing the world and seeing different cultures. I think its amazing to be able to do that.
Also other celeb families also move their kids around but no one whines about them.
I agree that traveling is great, and any kid who gets to do that is very lucky and will benefit from the experience. But I also agree with Kaiser that having some sort of home base, where longer term friendships and activities can happen, is a good thing.
I honestly can’t think of any other celeb family that moves around like this, or if they do, they don’t talk about it as much. Seems like most have a home base where their kids attend school, and then film work fits in around that.
I grew up traveling and my daughter grew up traveling. Nothing wrong with it. However, the children are heading to an age where they will want to hang with their friends more and individuate from the family. Maddox is fast heading there. She and Brad will have to make a choice. I loved the nomadic life until I was 13. Then I just wanted to be home with my friends. They will have to settle in the next few years.
I also don’t think the children are as into it as she is. It’s probably fun but really it’s her.
That’s the problem with acting. Locations and long absences. It’s a predicament. I can see she doesn’t want them becoming over indulged Hollywood brats living off their parents fame. So settling in LA is probably out.
But for the health of family closeness and the ability to be hands on, they will have to make some hard decisions. I hope they make the right ones.
Vivi’s little chunky legs look edible.
but you would have to count how many times really they travel because it’s Angelina’s turn to work. She has not acted since… The Tourist? in the first part of 2010 almost 2 years ago. Then she went on to direct, and the filming was short, in the last part of 2010.
She has had to travel due to promotion of her movies, etc for a few days.
Brad Pitt, on the other hand, filmed Moneyball in 2010, Cogan’s Trade a the beginning of 2011, and the long filming of WWZ. Not counting KFP2 or Megamind, since they take a few days to work in their parts.
Overall, since they got together, Jolie has worked in 9 movies as an actress, 3 of hem animation that only take little for the actors, and 1 as a director: 10
Pitt, roughly from Ocean’s 13, has worked in 11, and only 1 is animation. He also has to travel to promote, so there you go. I would say 9 from Pitt vs. 6 of Angelina.
And of course, she gets the blame for the traveling, when it must be a mutual decision to do so.
I bet all that time alone in Malta when filming Troy, etc. was what prompted Pitt to decide he want to have his family next to him too. He chose this life too.
Hmm, i kinda want her to settle though…
I agree with Kaiser here. i love stability. but i guess it’s just cos i’m such a homebody! the foundation i got was my parents keeping me at home ALL the time!
but i kind of think i might really like travelling to different countries!
I totally agree with Kaiser. Those kids need a home base where there is some structure and dependability They also need socialization with kids that aren’t their siblings.
Parents have a tendency to live vicariously through their kids, and it often messes them up.
We used to travel a lot internationally when we only had 2 kids (now I have 4). My husband and I love to travel, and we would drag the kids to Europe, to Asia, and Central America. We loved it and the kids loved it too, kind of, because we were happy and together. Also we bragged about it- look what we did! Look at us on the Great Wall of China with our 18 month old! The bragging was almost as fun as to trip. It was too expensive after awhile, but if I had endless resources, I could see myself continuing. But what I’ve learned is that the kids love being home and that honestly, they are happiest on family vacations where they get to swim in a nearby lake or go to an amusement park. Museums, ancient ruins, and the beauty of other cultures are lots on them. But to each their own. . . clearly, these kids are loved and privileged. But my kids are just as happy.
As much as she likes to think that she’s creating a family of “citizens of the world”, the truth is that a month here, a couple of months there and a few weeks elsewhere as seen from the inside of a hotel room or mansion probably isn’t exposing them to any more than one of us going on holidays for three weeks to Thailand. Plus, at that age and with all the moving around, it’s probably all started to blur together.
Speaking from experience (I’m on country number 8 and my kids have never actually lived in our “home country”) once your kids hit their teens it’s very hard on them to move. That leaves 2 or 3 years until Maddox is there. That’s the age when your friends start becoming more important than your family (for a while at least). He’ll need to actually have the opportunity to create a social circle for himself and that means being stable.
Last point… Kids that move around a lot generally seem to go one of two ways. Either they develop the need to constantly be on the move, or they put their suitcases down for good and refuse to travel because they crave stability somewhere.
When either Brad or Angelina are on set, filming movies, they rent a local house for their family. They lived in Venice for 5 months while Angelina filmed the Tourist. They lived in Budapest while Angelina filmed In the Land of Blood and Honey. They lived in Scotland while Brad filmed World War Z. We always see a few pictures of the kids checking out the local attractions either with the parent who isn’t filming, their grandparents, or their nannys. Plus they have the stability of their tutors who travel with the family.
They’re only really in hotels when Brangelina is in promotion mode, which doesn’t last more than a week or two per film.
I think the alternative, having a “home base” where the kids stay while Mom or Dad leaves for months to film would be much more traumatic. (That’s what Angelina’s childhood was like – She was always separated from her father) This way they are never separated from their parents.
Yes, I know they have rented houses, that’s why I said “hotel or mansion”.
“Home base” can mean many different things. It could just as easily be a house near Brad’s parents on a lake where they spend a couple of months every year with their cousins and extended family as it could be a a place in Asia or Timbuktu. The essential bit is consistency, having a place where you touch base and know that if everything else falls to pieces, that will still be there.
The thing is, cultural adjustment is a curve and it takes time. Some people may get through it in 6 to 8 months, but for pretty much everyone that I know who does this, it takes a full year to really feel like your new country is home. And it happens every time you move. You spend the school year in your new country, you have your ups, your downs and then your ups again. By the time summer holidays roll around, you’re comfortable in your new place, but looking forward to going “home”. It’s not until the end of the summer, when you’re packing your suitcases to go back, that you realize you’re looking forward to getting back “home” again… at which point you realize that your new country has become “home” for you too. Those kids never stay long enough in one place to complete the process.
Another thing, and anyone else here who moves regularly will probably agree with me… in the end it’s not the country that makes the experience, it’s the friends you make while you’re there. Although ideally, you make great friends in a great country instead of great friends in the armpit of the world. 😉
Okay, well don’t they have a “home base” in LA and another once at Chateau Miravel in the South of France? I thought they went to Miravel for an extended break every summer.
They seem to have a home base in LA,France, and NOLA I would bet if they ever settle down they’d end up in New Orleans. They also rented the same home twice in Budapest once during the ITLOBAH shoot and once during the WWZ shoot. I think they do have more stability then most would imagine because as Angie says they each have 5 siblings that have grown up in the same environment. I personally feel there is nothing better for incredibly rich and sheltered people than a sibling who will be a true friend no matter what-along with exposure to different cultures.
Bermuda: they were renting the Chateau in France. Last summer they were in England, were they not? As for NOLA, they hardly ever spend time there and certainly not enough for it to be a “home base”. Maybe L.A. I’d imagine that if the kids think of home as being somewhere, that would be it.
I will say that I agree with Kaiser in that the travel is not really for the kids, it’s for Brad and Angie. There’s no real reason to drag the kids along on press tours to Japan for a week or two. I know that from a publicity point of view, it’s probably better coverage for their films that both of them be present at every press call and red carpet, but that’s not something they’re doing for the kids.
She said it herself. ” I don’t want to settle. I love travelling.”. I…I…
@Annie they have spent a lot of time in NOLA and neighbors that were interviewed stated that the kids played with other kids in the neighborhood.
wow just yesterday I was thinking that the one flaw this site had was worshiping Angelina. Nice to know that you guys can spice it up a bit. I totally agree with everything you said Kaiser.
Agreed.
My thoughts exactly 🙂
They will be fine with traveling until they get into their teens. I feel torn though. I think she is considering what she wants above what her kids need. However, if they do have each other and set up a nice, comforting home-base wherever they go, then that’s okay too. But I will definitely see it as super selfish when the do want to stay in one place, if she refuses.
You know, that is a tough one. If you have no choice but to move around a lot that’s one thing. But to choose to do it…
I agree that is a flaw I see in their child raising. However, I do think the kids will probably all grow up to be extremely close as they’ve only had each other consistently as playmates and friends and that will be a good thing. And ultimately, home is where Mommy and Daddy are, and the fact that these children have a loving Mommy and Daddy means a great deal.
Anna, its not worshipping, its re
dressing the IMBALANCE of other sites that are rabid Angelina haters and Aniston worshippers. If posters have to go too far in Angelina’s favor to give the pendulum swing more balance, then so be it.
How is that a proper reason? Anyway, please list those sites as I don’t go on many gossip sites.
Anna, you need to check out FemaleFirst to get a scary look at how rapid the hatred is for AJ.
LOL I guess two wrongs do make a right then 🙂
I think there’s more to providing kids with structure, a sense of security or a frame of reference than living in one place.
Exactly. It’s about how they go about it and the personalities of the children. I will say growing up seeing the world has made me very adaptable to people and situations. I think it enables a person to see the bigger life picture and to be curious about others.
Plus, children are highly adaptable. They won’t be screwed up. Plenty of children that live in the same town all their lives end up with all sorts of issues. So there is no real formula to successful child rearing.
Exactly! Spot on!
It’s not where you’re at…It’s whom your with.
I really like this family, truly do but seeing these children being dragged around the world to see different cultures? Not sure about this.
They are undoubtedly very loving parents and the children do have each other but I really and truly wish Angelina would stop saying that this nomadic lifestyle is to let the children be exposed to those less fortunate. She wants the family to stay together while either she or Brad is working, fine. Honest. But I really doubt how much these kids see of the world with paparazzi swarming them every time they set one foot outside the door and leading in all aspects a very jetset lifestyle.
i know a big deal will be made out of this… but the kids might actually be used to it. Of course, they don’t like the paps… which is why they make faces.
I agree about having “roots” and a “home-base.” It is important.
Also, I think it is almost a duty to expose your kids to the world. We traveled a lot when my kids were growing up. It was such a good thing for them and taught them a lot about diversity. Many of the kids they finished school with (in VT) have never left the state; with many of them never even having seen other parts of their beautiful home state.
Now that my Grandson is here we still continue to travel and in all of his 4 years he has traveled to many places (including HI this past October). I Love showing him new places!!
Now that my kids are all grown, they’ve all moved to different parts of the country and still travel quite a bit. I think it is Awesome, except the part of having an empty house. Like Angie said we plan on spending a lot of our “old age” traveling to visit our kids. We’ve even gone so far as to plan on living in an RV for 3 to 4 years traveling the country, showing our Grandson even more Awesome sights and seeing our kids as often as we can.
I agree 100%. I know others will disagree which is fine, but I think any qualified child psychologist would agree as well. Doesn’t mean they won’t turn out okay. I think its not good for them.
We used to travel every 1-2 years because of my dads job & at least 3 times during the year for holidays & to war-torn countries for my dad’s work.
When you grow up with the lifestyle of constantly moving you get used to it, and it is so much fun.
I never once felt I needed a home base.
Even now, I tend to move to a new place after a year or two.
I’m sure the kids will be just fine.
Living in one place doesn’t provide security, and structure.
Family relations does. Emotional rather than physical stability.
Isn’t a year or two pretty short for a diplomatic stint? 3 or 4 is the norm these days.
Aside from the kids who pick up wanderlust, there are the kids who drop their bags the minute they can and never move again.
I had friends up visiting recently, who introduced me to one of their friends (now retired) who lives in my current city. A former UNHCR guy (and his wife), and believe me those guys never get the Club Med countries because they spend their time dealing with the worst that people can do to each other or nature can do to people. One of their daughters has married a Brit. A Brit who has never travelled any further than maybe 100 miles from home. Now, this retired couple has a second home in a sunny part of France. Their daughter and son-in-law NEVER come down to visit, and in fact never go further than maybe 50 miles from their home for vacation. Me, I was joking about how she probably flew so much as a child that she figured her chances of being in a plane crash were getting too big. The mother looked at me and said “EXACTLY!”.
Their child ended up pretty much traumatized from all the travel, the misery, the violence around her ( they went through a couple of coups in country). Paradoxally, their other child works in a globetrotting job.
I really doubt those kids have friends.
They stay in a country for 2 months, then they leave for the rest of the year… and they make FRIENDS?
They don’t make friends.
They play with Angelina and Brad’s asskissers kids.
and I really doubt that they go school, some years ago we saw picture of Maddox at the french school in NYC and some pictures of Brad taking Zahara to kindergarden in Prague and New Orleans but it was a long time ago, and I never saw pictures of any of them going to school again. They are all homeschooled.
I think it will be really hard for them to make friends when they settle down because they never had the opportunity to get attached to someone for a long period of time and to truly cherish friendship.
I like the traveling to the set with mom and dad, but also agree there should be a “home” to go to when not filming. Living out of suitcases constantly is no a childhood. Even arbrats and missionaries stay for 1-2 years in one place.
I like the traveling to the set with mom and dad, but also agree there should be a “home” to go to when not filming. Living out of suitcases constantly is not a childhood. Even army brats and missionaries stay for 1-2 years in one place.
It would be ok if the parents stayed put in one place to some. Would it be ok to the same bashers if they left a month at a time to work leaving them behind as well? I simply don’t see how Angelina only gets critisized in traveling and Brad get’s a pass. When you only write she this and that your hatred speaks loud and clear. A working parent such as myself would love to travel and take my children with me.
They’ve said they make a point of never working at the same time. There would be no reason for both parents to leave the kids behind when that is the case.
My guess is that Maddox is probably already starting to grumble about having to hang out with all of the “little kids”.
Our family moved around quite a bit and we lived in 7 different cities in 5 different countries all before I turned 15.
It was an amazing experience as a kid and it helped me to learn different cultures and languages.
I still love to travel and I visit friends in different countries all the time.
I’m sure the Brange’s children will turn out to be well-travelled, educated and open-minded adults who can adapt anywhere.
Not the same as moving every 1-3 months and possibly never, ever going back to the same place again.
True not the same but I think for children as long as they have parents who are there for them along the way they should great experiences growing up.
Children are amazingly flexible and adaptable little beings so as long as they are loved properly and taken care of I don’t think it will make a whole lot of difference whether they grow up in one place or multiple places.
I also saw a lot of kids who moved away for university to a different city maybe 3-4 hours away and some of them came back crying a month or two later because they don’t have any experience outside of their little city or town.
At least the Brange won’t have kids like that.
I don’t think those kids have suffered one day in their lives after Angelina became their mom.
Amazing how people think they get an opinion about the way other choose to raise their children. I bet anything if any of the perfect mothers were told they are not raising their perfect darling right all hell would break loose. I work with schools and let me tell you. Some of the children in public schools and or private have parents that are not doing a good job by any means. But nobody points that out.
I’m sure like all parent Brad/Angie know their children better than me or any nameless person that is spouting off.
they are not your children or your responsibility. So why in the world is all this uproar. Take care of your own children. How many children are neglected while MOMMY is online complaining about another woman’s and mans children.
hmmm.. I guess there are lots of bad parents.
Just like any celebrity, when they put the info out there and talk about stuff like this publicly, people are going to discuss it, and offer their opinions. No different than Suri Cruise, the Duggars, etc.
What uproar? This looks like any other thread on this site were people are discussing celeb interviews.
I’m sure you’ve given your opinion on various things that a celeb has said, so why can’t others?
It’s Angie and Brad that have constantly brought up their kids and their philosophy on how and why they are raising their kids the way that they are. They put it out there so I really don’t think they honestly mind that people are discussing them (in fact they probably want people to discuss it because that equals attention for whatever they’re promoting), so why are you taking such offense to people giving their opinion on things that the parents of these kids don’t seem to think is off limits to the public?
That’s not very coherent. On one hand, you give examples of bad parents of children in the schools that you have dealings with, and lament that no one says anything. On the other hand, we have an example of a celebrity couple who travel every few weeks or months, who bring the kids along on every trip which brings up questions about stability and/or lack of it for the kids, but we’re supposed to not say anything.
Really?
Yes, Annie. You are right. I also read what you are saying in the comments and you seem very smart and knowledgeable.
first of all I don’t critique parents of children I don’t know. Have never made a negative comment about Tom/Katie on how they raise their children. My point was on children I see on a daily and sometimes weekly basis. Children that are “stationed” in ONE place. Children that are not traveling. That is not an indications of parents being good or not. Having a stable home has more to do with HOW you raise your children not on where.
I also think it is funny how Angie is the one accused of causing the family to travel. Brad is the one that has been shooting in various locations for the last 5 months.. not Angie who has not worked in over a year. But the finger is pointed to her despite BRAD saying on numerous occasions this is also how HE wants his family to live.
but of course that is over looked.
Second that
Yes but Liz ej, you lived in homes and went to school and had friends. I totally agree that travel is educational and mind expanding for kids
Exactly.
Yes, I lived in actual homes but we did live out of suitcases a lot since we were moved around a lot depending on the city. In one city, I probably went to 2-3 different schools within a very short period of time.
Obviously, my experience is nothing compared to the Brange brood but I don’t think every single family needs the same lifestyle and rigid structure. To each their own.
But yes, travel is very very important for everyone – especially children as well.
My parents where both Marines, my brother in the Navy. So we moved around ALOT, and after the divorce even more so always coming and going. Then I married a wonderful Navy man and we live overseas for 4 yrs. I traveled as much as I possibly could, and took it all in….
Now, for the past 13 yrs (anniversary was yesterday) I have been living in the same town with my new ol’man and I think about how lucky I’ve been to see and do the things I have.
Then again, I have to say….I love putting down roots. I would tell anyone travel somewhere, do something. So when you look back, have no regrets!
The kids are getting too comfortable with thrills, jet setting around the globe every few months..I can almost guarantee at least half of them will turn to drugs as an adult to continue searching for thrills, everything will become voting at a young age..what will they have left to do when they’ve done it all? Snnort and cooking brown powder on a silver spoon
That is the most cracked out theory I’ve ever heard and I’m only reading this thread out of boredom. It boggles the mind and astounds the brain that you could cook up such an idea. Thanks for entertaining me, dude.
If I had the means/time/energy etc., I would do exactly what they are doing. I mean face it, these kids will be famous for life anyway; they will never have a “normal” existence.
The easy thing is to stay in one place and put down roots–and face it, if you are the Jolie-Pitts that place out of safety and privacy concerns at this point is probably going to be gated and insular.
With their nomadic childhood…. the kids grow up–they will have a vast alternative to the typical upper crust “home bases” if they do want to settle down and be “normal.”
I can’t even bother to write a super long comment so I’m just going to narrow down to: I think she’s selfish and she knows it. Siding with Kaiser.
I for one enjoy your super long comments, there always so well thought out.
Much appreciated :), I’m actually thinking of putting up a blog for my ramblings but not about celebs though.
It is only natural to try to give your child what you felt you did not have when growing up. Both Brad and Angie are global citizens and have clear intentions on raising their children in that manner. America still struggles with its own face of multiculturalism and it shows in the the type of education we provide to our children.
There is nothing selfish about Angie. She is a woman who volunteers her time as a UNHCR ambassador over the last ten years, plus she has adopted three children in addition to having a few of her own. She has a natural interest about learning about the people of the world because she considers herself a global citizen. Too many of us do not give a damn and cannot see any relevance to the value of multiculturalism, even though 60% of the U.S. population are non-white.
It is an embarassing fact that India and China, just to name a few “foriegn” countries, consistently graduate more H.S. seniors and college graduates than the U.S. since the early 1990s. Apparently, none of you are aware of how far behind our American educational system is. In general, we are still not prepared to handle or galvanize our multicultural society into superior academic achievement and we do a piss-poor job in teaching the many cultures that now represent this country. This level of teaching, understanding and mastery is absent from pre-K to the 12th grade.
In other countries, this is not the case. Multiculturalism is taught early and consistently throughout their education. And no, it is not a course, it is a comprehensive practice of understanding how different cultures react, interreact, and embrace math, science, history, and reading. Now, there are some elite schools in this country and a few outstanding teachers/school districts that are exception to the rule. But for the most part, the U.S. school system cannot compete with some of the foreign educational systems. FACT.
Now, Angie amd Brad are using their knowledge of the world by putting it to good use, giving their children something with which they did not have as a child. Their children are getting a huge head start about world history as it really is, practical knowledge of many different cultures as they engage in the culture, including education from a global perspective that is inclusive of different languages and real exposure to their contemporary issues. And yes, they get to create friendships with persons that do not look like them.
The result? Children that can get along easily with people of different races and cultures, so much so that it will seem natural and not something that they have to “work at.” Another bonus is a greater respect and keener awareness to problem-solving and conflict resolution.
As Americans we may live near one another but we certainly do not embrace on another. That is also the education we currently give to our children.
Again, home is where the heart is. This family is intact. Brad/Angie’s kids are always with at least one parent and it is clear that they have a “house” full of love. Angie has shown strong judgment in raising her kids as she plans and invests so much of her time with them.
Respect for your well-written comment but I really can’t be bothered in discussing this at lenght. Also, if you talk about America and “we” and their faults, don’t think I’m like that since I’m European and brought up in a multicultural environment that gave me lots of opportunities and I do strongly believe in traveling to broaden your mind since I did it myself and will continue to do.
I still stand by my opinion and I am too tired of these constant defensive arguments that happen extensively at a JP thread but I do appreciate you at least keeping it on topic :).
Just this too, when filing for adoption, you should be able to provide a stable home for the child and I find it hard to believe that an agency will accept moving around every three months as appropriate for the child’s development (attachment issues etc…). A child shouldn’t comply to your needs. Another reason why I think many of these celebs are granted more than regular people.
I agree 100%.
If you start a blog without celebs-I’m there!(Just in case you need someone with short comments)
There won’t be any visitors at all probably so any kind comment would be appreciated 😀
Oh please as an Army brat I moved around until I was 16 and my dad retired. I loved it. Believe me this is not hurting the kids and they are getting one heck of an education as well. The only people qualified to debate if Brad and Angie are good parents are their children, at least in my book. Not fans or non-fans that get their info reading gossip blogs and gossip rags.
Traveling so much is a mixed bag of blessings. It was very hard for me … I don’t think I stayed in one place for more than 3 years and I ended up with three citizenships. On the one hand I’ve very flexible when it comes to moving on the other hand I’m the same way like the other army brats. I can’t stay in one place for more than a few years and I don’t know how that will pan out in the future unless I marry someone who also loves to travel.
Structure doesn’t come from staying in one place for years (although I wish I had a place to call home) it comes from routine and that could be anything from having the same cereal every morning. I love their nomadic lifestyle and would love to have it when I have kids. To each his own …
Also, remember that they have a HUGE staff that packs and sets up these homes so the kids most likely have their familiar possessions and food, toiletries etc., in each new place. Maybe the mattresses change, but your comforting blankie and nitelite are there!
I am grateful my parents allowed me to travel with them. I got to see so many exciting things! And it’s not like were were mega rich or anything, but my mom and dad even when they broke up made it a point to make sure I went somewhere every season. Winters in Colorado or the Alps, Summers in England, Spain, and Germany. I met so many cool people who I am still friends with till this day and are tops on my FB page.
I think what JP is doing for them is amazing. It’s a great opportunity and they are lucky to be able to do it. In a few years she even says she knows they might want to settle down and they will adjust accordingly. I don’t see what the big deal is.
I am grateful my parents allowed me to travel with them. I got to see so many exciting things! And it’s not like were were mega rich or anything, but my mom and dad even when they broke up made it a point to make sure I went somewhere every season. Winters in Colorado or the Alps, Summers in England, Spain, and Germany. I met so many cool people who I am still friends with till this day and are tops on my FB page.
I think what JP is doing for them is amazing. It’s a great opportunity and they are lucky to be able to do it. In a few years she even says she knows they might want to settle down and they will adjust accordingly. I don’t see what the big deal is.
It would be nice if one day those kids can finally call “Home Sweet Home” to a specific place. I’m not saying they shouldn’t travel but at least have them stay in the same home every 6 months or so.
I’m from a family of five kids who grew up travelling. Personally I loved it as I’m quite easy going and can move or stand still, my brothers? (two), not so much. If you travel the chances are that one child will abhor that lifestyle as we all naturally have different characteristics.
With regard to Angelina/Brad, I don’t really want to comment on how other people raise their kids, especially people/kids I don’t know, but I will say this. When you have kids you have to be careful not to project your feelings onto/coerce them. They may like travelling but how much of that is due to the fact it’s the only life they have ever known, as opposed to actually enjoying living out of a suitcase?. If you tell a five year old they are having an adventure/fun chances are they will believe you, you’re their parent afterall. But as they grow and maybe(like my brothers) begin to resent such a lifestlye, what do you say then? You can’t confuse your desires or career demands with what your kids actually want. I’m sure they have a dialogue with their children, but this kind of thing annoys me.
Also just because you travel it doesn’t make you more wordly or any more a “citizen of the world” than someone who doesn’t. Really can’t stand some of the haughty attitudes I come across with regard to this. I was fortunate to travel but I don’t judge people who haven’t, or haven’t the desire to do so.
Being a “citizen of the world” is not an award, an annointing, nor are you appointed. It is a way of life, which is inclusive of everyone. It presents the opportunity for you to go outside of your natural comnfort zone with an eagerness and openess to learn about the person who does not look like you nor share the same type of socioeconomic background as yourself.
It relates much more to your state of mind rather than to where you actually live or have actually traveled. It is revealed in your thoughts, beliefs, and most obviously, how you treat people who are different than you. It is also measured by your chosen level of engagement. Therefore, you can be well-traveled and be a stuck-up, unbearable snob and you can also not own a passport but embrace other cultures with a natural curiosity rather than with fear or resentment.
The choice is yours to make.
Indeed, those who are financially advantaged may have more opportunity but they may not take advantage of the experience.
Word!
>>>> Also just because you travel it doesn’t make you more wordly or any more a “citizen of the world” than someone who doesn’t. <<<<
Precisely the reason that holiday half board package deals and Club Med exist.
I’m with you. I always feel like the JPs act like they discovered international travel. I am a diplo kid and travel did not make me kinder, smarter, more tolerant or cultured. Sorry. Don’t buy that hogwash. You can be all those things and live in the same town for 50 years. I LOVE to travel but I recognise it for what it is…its mainly just fun, a buzz. When you travel to a new country for the first few weeks/months its like being 3 again and everything is interesting..you are fascinated by what the people on the streets wear, how they talk, what they do. Its fun just to go to the grocery store.Then, slowly you become immersed in the country, make friends and WAM BAM presto…2 years in its just where you live. So in a weird way it is like a drug. It gives your everyday life this glamour and faux importance that shopping at Walmart in Lexington lacks. Sure I learnt to care about others working in a medical clinic on my summer holidays in a south american barrio, but I have friends that learnt the same thing by mowing the lawn of an elderly relative every Sunday till they left home.
…and anyone that thinks constant travel makes you a more compassionate more tolreant person has clearly never heard diplomatic wives/husbands bitch and moan about each other and/or their staff.
Blouson: exactly this. People who are closed minded and “small” (the West Africans call them “les petits blancs”) aren’t going to suddenly become openminded and large of heart because they move abroad. Chances are much more likely that they’ll spend thier time in-country complaining about the maid, the lack of choice in the supermarket, how dirty things are or how much better “these people” would be if only they were more like them. And then, when they get home on holidays, they lord the big house, pool, driver, cook, lifestyle over their friends without ever bothering to explain that ALL of the expats there live like that.
Then you have the ones who truly embrace their new country. But they were that sort of person before they got there.
Myself, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with them moving around, especially when it’s not due to some negative reason i.e. criminal activity, skating out on debts, running away from a dangerous person/situation, etc.
And given that these kids are not isolated from their extended family like their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, I can’t understand why some would say that they don’t have roots. Either their extended family visits them or the JPs visit them. And who knows how often they call or web chat with each other.
@Kaiser I don’t know why you are attacking Angelina. She said that the kids have friends in most countries they go to. She never said the siblings are their only friends. Also Angelina isn’t forcing a traveling family. She hasn’t worked in a year. It’s Brad who’s been “forcing” the family to move. Besides I’m sure she would be attacked if she kept the kids away from their father for 2-3 months. It’s bizarre that it’s always open season on Angelina and Brad is a victim.
Bottom line…she can raise her kids any way she wants. She seems like she’s a good mother and doesn’t exploit her kids. Many Hollywood moms go around saying they would never put their kids in front of a camera and yet they end up making ads with them (yeah JHo, I’m talking to you)
It seems that Angelina & Brad are always apologizing for how their kids are being brought up
I agree with Kaiser 100% on this one. I was an army brat and I went to a different almost school every year for about 11 years. As much as I loved the travel aspect (when your a kid ALL trips are fun) it was so difficult because I could not form any friendships. I found myself in envy and still do of the kids who actually grew up together and were able to have memories instead of always being ‘the new girl’. As an adult woman that type of lifestyle impacts me still because i have a restlessness and a need to just ‘pick up and go’ when in reality it’s not normal and there is nothing wrong with where i am living or what I’m doing. I def don’t resent my parents or anything but I wonder what I would’ve been like if I’d had a stable place to call home. Just saying…
Open minded (what you’re describing) and Citizen of the World are not synonymous. It’s perfectly possile to be completly openminded and yet still be immersed in “my country above all others, even if it means yours will suffer for my benefit”.
I like Angelina and applaud her humanitarian work but on this issue she is dead wrong and i think she knows it. Hence why she gets emotional & doesnt want to talk about it. SHE may want to travel, who doesnt, but kids need stability.
Her & Brad need to provide a steady upbringing in 1 place where her kids can make friends and feel “at home.” Adopted children especially need this.
They can still travel but should have a place to call home where they go to school with their friends everyday and play with them after school and have a routine of sorts. And I dont buy that the children LOVE to travel and havent ask to not travel so much.
First these children are not traveling. Traveling is when you leave home a couple times a year and see a new place. These children are nomads. Children who have no steady physical home. I realize that Angie likes this environment – but it is very very hard on children. These children are not like military kids – these children move every couple weeks or so. They have no school friends, no stability.
Second I do not believe for one minute that they have “friends” true friends in every place they go. They may have kids whose parents say be nice to these children who are coming over – but not true friends that you fight with and go to parties with, and do all the fun kids stuff that kids do to grow up.
Angie really needs to start putting the needs of her kids first.
Well said!
All those I know who moved a lot when young, have never complained about it. Instead they always seem to be the people who enjoy life the most.
Brad and Angie have the blessing of being able to do what is best for their children in so many different ways.If I envied them anything it would be that.
I hope that if and when one or more of their children need a “home base” that Brad or Angie or both are willing to put their careers/lifestyle on hold.The thing about being a parent for me is that I would and have made personal sacrifices for my children that I would never think of doing for anyone else.
What about Brad? Here’s what:He could be the parent to stabilize a home base. As long as the children’s needs are put first than I don’t really care which parent makes the sacrifices although ideally they both would be on board.
Imo travel may make a person more interesting but it is incredibly naive and rather snobbish to think that being well travelled makes a person inherently more intelligent, charming, compassionate, or kind. If a person is any of these things they will be so whether or not they have travelled.By the same token a vile, selfish, mean spirtied bully will remain just that no matter how far or close to home they roam.
@blouson:
There is a difference in experience between Brad/Angie’s lifestyle and that of a diplomat’s wife/husband with staff.
@ blouson–
Traveling presents only the opportunity — it does not guarantee the result. I can take a horse down to the river but there is no guaranty that he will drink.
Unless you are a Latino, working in a hispanic barrio is just not the same experience as taking care of an elderly relative.
Um…how is it different? Angie nad Brad are not immersing themselves in a culture, they are living in a rented mansion with staff who speak their language and their children rae either tutored or sent to an international school for a few months. Its not like they are rolling into Costa Rica and living running a fishing boat and working on the docks for three months while their kids attend a local school (as friends of mine did, now thats cultural immersion). I’d say their life is just like a diplomats but they move more often. Lots of cocktail parties, meeting famous activists and politicians, a spot of charity work and luxury holidays. Sounds spot on to me.
I agree Kim and Susan. Well said!
These kids would be bored silly staying in one place, let alone the parents being couped up also. They have NEVER known that, and that would suddenly be difficult.
She is not asking for our opinion, but they can chose how they want to raise their family.
Pics show other kids with them. They are not trying to build lifelong friends, but playmates. They have birthday parties with or go out with. That they do. They will grow up to be adults who travelled alot, that is all.
They won’t be discussing the home they lived in. They are not stuck on base, but in luxury with every amenity possible. I can’t call that suffering. Extended family joins them on their travels. The same 4 walls are not the greatest thing to family. Bonding however is. So they either roll together or separate. Lots of HW actors film in LA, the JP’S don’t so that’s that.
In each country she gets a tutor to teach them about that country and it’s Museums. That IS learning. They have been seen carrying books about the location. Don’t fall for her keeping them locked in the basement crap. They explore each city.
I don’t for 1 second believe the kids want to stay put somewhere. Why would they? Brad spoke of having friends fly out to spend time with the kids. With unlimited resources (unlike most of us) we are really not speaking the same language.
They started out with a plan on how they wanted to raise their family and it looks like they are doing it. I hope the parents here are not led by popular opinion on how to raise your kids. Families are unique and the JP’S even more so.
Acting is only 1 part of their life, her UN travels have to be considered too, and that means travel. These kids seem to have lots to do, share, get along and behave accordingly. Sure they fight as both have said so, what kids don’t, but they come back together. They appear to get along with the other kids around them in the pics so you can’t really ask for more than that.
Brad loved to travel before Angie and She before him, so clearly it was addressed and agreed upon. The kids are on an adventure, as they are not working, but with their family and that is really all that matters. For those who insist otherwise, it still will be AJ and BP problem to deal with. I’m leaning towards them not having to deal with any negative result of travelling, paps maybe. We don’t know what the home discussions are.
These soundbite teasers are just that. They have a way of making you think they are telling things, but they are not. They cooked Thanksgiving turkey toghether, Where? Who else came over, other family members? See, clever, but it does put the kabosh in she hates Thanksgiving lies even though she talked about it before, people still believed. Now she is even more direct. These nibbles are NOT their 24/7, but it appears so. Don’t try to make this their life, its just a little fraction of it. Kids not in 1 place is the same, what are they instilling in them is key and that we don’t know, we only know they move around a lot every few months.
She is not silly and planning on harming her family. Brad is no fool standing by wathcing her. These adults are on to something. She has been raising Maddox 10 years, so she is not a new mom. He seems fine, by the way. We have her condemned without any evidence to back up her child rearing flaw? Their kids have not provided us with any information or signs about such a flaw. Oh, and she won’t listen any way. That is the defiant one in case you have not caught on. Brad calls her bold, so seems to me like an agreement and a great match.
I’m sorry…you wrote a lot here, but I got stopped short at “stuck on base.”
Yeah, my daughter isn’t just “stuck on base.” She’s lived in four countries and five states, and she’s under 10 years old. She’s seen things, learned things, and bonded to her family in ways that kids who sit in a 3BR brick house and attend the same school with the same teachers and the same playmates never will.
My daughter knows how big and how small the earth is.
Her anchor is not a house or a zip code. Her anchor is her family. I’m really sorry for those of you who don’t understand that concept.
My family travelled a lot during my childhood and I even ended up attending the first three years of school in different languages — French, German, English — but I loved it. To this day, I keep my passport up-to-date and go abroad at least once a year.
Was I nervous walking into a new classroom whenever I didn’t speak the language and didn’t know anyone? Sure, but from day one I knew that I could learn and adapt and then “new” would be “familiar.”
Those childhood experiences were really empowering. For example, I moved to Japan in my 20s — I didn’t speak the language and I didn’t have a job or a place to live lined up — but I’d figure it out. And I did! Within a couple of weeks, I was working, sharing an apartment with a great roommate and making new friends. I spent a wonderful couple of years there before moving on and will always treasure those memories. (Incidentally, I met a Dutch guy there who became one of my closest friends and we often travel together.)
Personally, I think the Jolie-Pitt clan is incredibly lucky. Aside from seeing the world, they’ll pick up all sorts of skills — an awareness of different cultures, exposure to different ideas and ways of doing things, an appreciation of change, the ability to communicate despite a language barrier — that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives.
Yours is a good example.
Everyone I know who traveled abroad a lot is quite happy and hungry for new experiences.
Prefer them a lot to many people who don’t dare to wander too far.
Exactly. This has been our experience, too.
You guys just don’t gerit,Angie is insecured,she doesn’t want Brad to dump her for anoda chic,she’s just using d kids as an excuse.she knows d kind of guy brad is:dat out of sight is out of mind.
I think these children are super lucky! They will grow up and be so thankful to have had all those experiences. As long as they are with their family and being loved and treated right, that is all that really matters when you are a child.
Children of diplomats are not being moved every 3 weeks – 2 months.
They may live in a different country for a couple of years, go to school, have friends there, live in a community and a house they call home which is not a hotel room.
Same for military kids.
and by the way, some of them do tell how that had a negative effect on their childhood.
I am sure a baby/ toddler hated flying every couple of weeks and having suffered the ear pain.
I am pretty sure kids don’t like it too often as evidenced by every flight and the small children on it that have felt terrible by being stuck in their place for so long…
Much more important is the need for children to socialize and be a part of a group of their peers.
Not their brothers.
That is not the same thing, as nannies are not really an equivalent to the school experience and the social skills needed to become a decent member of society are acquired in community settings that are more than just mother-father- brother/ sister, nanny and assistants.