Angelina Jolie Has Grown Up to Be Quite Happy

Angelina Jolie is a busy mom balancing her film schedule, partner Brad Pitt's film schedule, and the busy lives of four young children: Maddox, 5, Zahara, 2, Shiloh, 11 months, and Pax,3. She recently talked with Readers Digest about her family life and how she keeps things balanced as a working mom.

Despite their busy lives, the couple makes an effort to spend some special time with each of the kids and balance the parenting duties. She says, "We've tried to figure out a lot of private time for each of them. When everybody goes to bed, we give Mad time. When everybody is at school, we give Shiloh time. In between, Z and Pax each get special time. And on Sundays, we have a big family sleep. We're talking about having to build a bigger bed!"

This is the first time she has talked openly about the decision to add biological daughter Shiloh to the family. She reveals, "I always said I was happy never to have a child biologically. (Brad) told me he hadn't given up that thought. Then … after Z came home (from Ethiopia), I saw Brad with her and Mad, and I realized how much he loved them, that a biological child would not in any way be a threat."

Jolie also confirmed that the adoption of Pax was a result of Shiloh's birth and says that after her arrival "somebodyy in the house looked like Mommy and Daddy. It became clear to us that it might be important to have somebody around who is similar to the other children so they have a connection."

The timing of finding a stable life with her family is bittersweet since her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in January. Jolie says that she finds comfort in the fact that her mother lived long enough to see her "grow up to be quite happy."

Jolie says, "Yesterday, picking up the kids from school, Brad turned around in the car, and there were three of (their kids). He couldn't stop laughing. We love them and are having a great time."

Source: Readers Digest