Angelina Jolie just opened up about how her mother influenced her parenting style

‘The only way I know to raise them is to really listen’

Angelina Jolie lost her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, to cancer in 2007, a huge loss that she spoke of at the time, announcing of her 56-year-old mother, ‘I will never be as good a mother as she was.’

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt last September, applying for full custody of their six children: Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 8.

In a recent interview with Elle France, Angelina opened up about her late mother and how she still influences the 41-year-old actress’s parenting style today.

‘I know how much she would have contributed to their lives and I am sad they will miss out on that,' Angelina explained of her children's loss, before going on to talk about her own. ‘I would give anything for her to be with me at this time. I’ve needed her,' she explained. 'I talk to her often in my mind and try to think what she might say and how she might guide me.’

She continued: ‘I try to lead by example, being conscious of others and being responsible. And to help them have a broader view of the world. But really the only way I know to raise them is to really listen. It’s perhaps the most important thing any parent can do. They are resilient children but they are children, and as much as they need help to understand the hard truths in life, they also need what we all need: protection and love.’