Tom Cruise has decided that he wants ten children. That’s right; he wants to add seven more to his brood. The church of Scientology is already excitedly adding up the potential income in its head. Tom recently told The Sun what a great dad he is, and how much he loves kids – which is why he wants to have so many of them. Tom came off as a little braggy at times, but certainly nothing compared to a few years ago. And he managed to remember to include his adopted children in the same breath as his biological one, instead of mentioning them as a mere afterthought like normal.

WATCH out, BRAD and ANGELINA. TOM CRUISE is aiming to beat you – not at the box office, but with a bigger brood. When it comes to large celebrity families, the Brangelina clan’s score of six kids is tough to beat. Cruise, though, reveals that he would like to have TEN.

Tom grins: “I want ten children. I love kids. I feel really fortunate to have the teenagers and a two and a half-year-old. It’s a great dynamic.” The star adopted two children with his second wife NICOLE KIDMAN, Isabella, now 16, and 13-year-old Connor.

Tom and Katie — pictured earlier this month showing the strains of her gruelling Broadway schedule — became parents together when Suri was born in 2006. And his youngest is clearly a great joy to him. Of Suri, he says: “She’s so charming, she’s so beautiful, she’s just great.” The hard-working actor, 46, is often seen out with Suri and Katie. And he tries to make sure he spends as much time as possible with his kids.

It is, he admits, a reaction to being brought up without a father figure from the age of 12. His dad — Thomas Cruise Mapother III — split from his mother Mary at that time. Tom says: “I’m a great parent. I want to be with my kids, and they get to do all the stuff that I wanted to do when I was growing up. My own father wasn’t there much for me and I want to be a different dad to my kids. My family is the most important thing in my life.”

[From the Sun]

I don’t give Tom credit for much, but it is clear his family is the most important thing in his life, even though it could be said that it’s obsessively so. But considering how many people seem to pop out kids and then spend the next 18 years practically ignoring him, in a way it’s nice that Tom is so into his family. But it’s also easy to imagine that such excessive attention might lead to spoiled kids – even if he does end up with ten of them.

Just two weeks ago Matt Lauer asked Tom if he was going to have more kids, to which he replied, “I think that’s a question for ‘the women.’” It sure seems like he got that question answered quickly – and then bumped one up to seven. Tom does seem like the sort of guy who goes all-out, whatever he does. I guess it’s no surprise that kids aren’t an exception.

Here’s Tom with Suri in Manhattan on December 4th. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.