Angelina Jolie on How Her Late Mother Influences Her Parenting Style: 'I Talk to Her Often in My Mind'

Angelina Jolie misses her mother.

In an interview with Elle France, the 41-year-old star says her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, would have “thrived as a grandmother.”

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“I know how much she would have contributed to their lives and I am sad they will miss out on that,” Jolie said, referring to her six children with estranged husband Brad Pitt. “I would give anything for her to be with me at this time. I’ve needed her. I talk to her often in my mind and try to think what she might say and how she might guide me.”

Bertrand died of cancer in 2007. She was 56 at the time.

Now a busy mom herself, Jolie told the magazine that her children were “the greatest gift and responsibility,” and said that she believes listening is one of the major keys to successful parenting.

“I try to lead by example, being conscious of others and being responsible,” she said. “And to help them have a broader view of the world.”

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“But really the only way I know to raise them is to really listen,” Jolie continued. “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.”

See how Jolie recently spent Mother’s Day in the video below.

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