Angelina Jolie reveals she prepares her children for life without her

Angelina Jolie has opened up about how losing her mother to cancer and her own family history have shaped the way she raises her children, revealing that she has spent years preparing them for the possibility that she may not always be there.

Speaking with Variety, Jolie reflected on her relationship with mortality and the impact of watching her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, die from breast and ovarian cancer at 56.

Jolie has also previously revealed that she carries a mutated BRCA1 gene and underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013.

The actor said her expectations for the future have been shaped by the women in her family.

“I have never lived feeling like I’m going to have a long life,” Jolie said.

That outlook has influenced how she thinks about raising her children. Rather than assuming she will necessarily be present for every stage of their lives, Jolie said she has approached motherhood with an awareness that they may one day have to live without her.

Jolie has previously spoken about how deeply her mother’s death affected her. Bertrand lived long enough to meet and hold her first grandchild, while Jolie’s other children did not have the opportunity to know their grandmother.

Now, as most of Jolie’s children approach or have reached adulthood, she said they are encouraging her to focus more on living in the present. Her children want her to travel, get out and pursue experiences for herself.

Jolie said her children know her better than anyone and still like her, something she considers meaningful.