Angelina Jolie Didn’t Want Biological Kids Until Brad Pitt Convinced Her They Wouldn’t Be a Threat
Angelina Jolie became a very devoted mother after sharing children with Brad Pitt. But after adopting several children, Jolie wasn’t too keen on having a biological child. But that was before Pitt convinced her a biological child wouldn’t threaten the family she’d already made.
How many biological children did Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have?
The seed of child adoption was planted in Jolie’s head during a visit to Cambodia. The Tomb Raider star experienced an education in the country that helped shape her view of the world. But it also played a part in making Jolie a mother as a side-effect.
“In 2001, I was in a school programme in Samlout playing blocks on the floor with a little kid and as clear as day I thought: ‘My son is here.’ A few months later I met baby Mad at an orphanage. I can’t explain it and am not one to believe in messages or superstition. But it was just real and clear,” she once said in an interview with Vogue.
After adopting Maddox Chivan, Jolie would continue to grow her family by adopting Zahara Marley from Ethiopia and Pax Thien from Vietnam. But Pitt and Jolie would often share biological children of their own starting with Shiloh Nouvel. Later on the couple welcomed twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline into the family.
In an interview with People, Jolie expressed great pride in the size of her family and the culture her kids brought to her household.
“They’re pretty great people and because there’s so many of them, I think they’ve had a very significant effect on each other. It’s not like I’m the head of anything. I’m very honest with my kids. And I’m very human with my kids,” she said.
Altogether, Jolie and Pitt had three biological children and three from adoption.
Angelina Jolie thought having biological children would threaten her family until Brad Pitt
Jolie once credited Pitt for the sudden and quick growth of her family. Their shared values made it easier and more comfortable for Jolie to share more children with the Fight Club star.
“I met this amazing person, and we realized we had very similar views on how we wanted to live our lives,” Jolie once opened up in an interview with Reader’s Digest. “It’s happened quickly, with so many children. Yesterday, picking up the kids from school, Brad turned around in the car, and there were three of them. He couldn’t stop laughing. We love them and are having a great time.”
Being with Pitt also gave Jolie the certainty she needed to raise biological kids, which Pitt assured wouldn’t sabotage their family.
“Before I met Brad, I always said I was happy never to have a child biologically. He told me he hadn’t given up that thought. Then, a few months after Z came home, 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. So I said, ‘I want to try,'” Jolie explained.
How Angelina Jolie avoided a rivalry developing between her children
Jolie and Pitt took a careful approach to ensure that a rivalry didn’t develop between her kids with each new addition to the family. They ensured their children experienced the right amount of attention to avoid breeding jealousy.
“When everybody goes to bed, we give Mad time,” she said. “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, when the boys get in bed with us and we watch a movie. It started with Mad, then Pax, and now Z is desperate to move into the bed. We’re talking about having to build a bigger bed!”
This tactic has worked so well that the children were once too busy having fun with one another to worry about their parents.
“They’re so many of them that they’re busy with each other and the kids don’t take up too much of mommy and daddy’s time,” Jolie said in another interview with People.
