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Angelina Jolie is sharing advice to parents “doing your best” amid the coronavirus pandemic that’s kept families across the country in self-quarantine.
On Friday, the Oscar-winning actress, 44, wrote a touching letter in TIME's Parents newsletter to let mothers and fathers know they are not alone.
“I am thinking of you,” wrote the mother-of-six. “I am imagining how hard each of you is trying to get through your days. How much you want to lead your loved ones through this. How you worry. How you plan. How you smile for them, when inside you feel at times you are breaking.”
Admitting “I was not a very stable youth,” Jolie, a TIME contributing editor, added, “In fact, I never thought I could be anyone’s mom. I remember the decision to become a parent. It wasn’t hard to love. It wasn’t hard to dedicate myself to someone and something greater than my life. What was hard was knowing that from now on I needed to be the one to make sure everything was okay. To manage it and make it work. From food to school to medical. Whatever would come. And to be patient.”
Jolie and Pitt share three adopted children, son Maddox, 18, daughter Zahara, 15, and son Pax, 16. The couple are also parents to biological children Shiloh, 13 and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11. Jolie and Pitt filed for divorce in 2016.
Angelina Jolie depicted with her children Knox, Vivienne, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara and Maddox. (Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)
“I realized I stopped my constant daydreaming, instead staying always ready for any break into what I was doing or thinking to answer a need. It was a new skill to acquire,” wrote Jolie. “So now, in the midst of this pandemic, I think of all the mothers and fathers with children at home. All hoping they can do everything right, answer all needs, and stay calm and positive.”
Jolie continued, “One thing that has helped me is to know that’s impossible. It is a lovely thing to discover that your children don’t want you perfect. They just want you honest. And doing your best. In fact, the more room they have to be great where you are weak, the stronger they may become. They love you. They want to help you. So in the end, it’s the team you build. And in a way, they are raising you up too. You grow together.”
Back in March, Jolie donated $1 million to the nonprofit No Kid Hungry to help fund free meals to children from low-income families during school closures.
“As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,” said Jolie at the time. “Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support. No Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible.”
Jolie has worked on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the past. Along with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, she is working to establish a Global COVID-19 Education Coalition to help children around the globe continue their education during the pandemic.
