Brangelina: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Gossip

I know there’s constant Brangelina news out there that I’ve been delinquent covering. Today, I’m still not going to spill news. Instead, this is going to be a commentary. Lilo left some interesting comments on my last post that I’ll get to in a bit.

Angelina, like many, has had a difficult past. Her brother gave a really good interview revealing insight about the troubles they faced together growing up. (See: Angelina’s secret sadness – Daily Mail ) Whatever her dad did to them mentally is probably a major catalysis in her motivation today.

Now, she’s on the flip side of the coin being a parent. She may prevent all the problems she faced as a child but a new batch of unique troubles are sure to come up over the years with her new family.

It’s a slippery edge maintaining your world crusade while keeping your family as the top priority. Brad and Angelina will do a far superior job than Voight did with his children. Of course, that’s a fairly simple goal to reach. Taking it to a really “healthy” level will be challenging.

I hope Brad and Angelina realize the amount of effort it will take to keep their family strong. For sure, it will be a lot better than an orphanage and better than what Angelina saw growing up but will it be a strong close knit family?

In the mind of a little one, time equals quality. If the children sense you are too devoted to other things besides them, you will start to lose their respect … no matter how worthy of a cause you’re involved in. Many marriages have broken up because of the distraction of a worthy cause.

As they grow up, your kids will challenge and test you all along the way. It’s physically stressful when they’re young. It’s a mental mind game when they’re older. How you handle it as a parent sets the stage for the type of relationship you’ll have together when they’re grown.

I’m also a parent of four, all under the age of 10. It hard enough now feeling that I’m giving enough attention to each of them while still being a good husband and employee. It takes a lot of time … I don’t have time to do this blog justice. I can’t imagine dealing with what’s on Brangelina’s plate no matter how much help surrounds them. All I know is that you can’t save the world and at the same time do justice in raising your kids. Eventually, something will have to give. Good parenting takes time and must be very intentional.

Here’s another point. You can’t save the world. You can influence it … but only an elite few have made a significant change to humanity.

One of the things Lilo stated in the last post was:

I’m beginning to get the feeling that she has no idea what she’s doing with herself and her family.

Whether the stories of anorexia and exhaustion are true or not, she does look in a bad shape on the photos we’ve seen recently. Why adopt that kid right now when she looks like she needs to sleep for a month ? Why add more to your day when it could always wait ? How can one take care of others when she’s not really taking care of herself right now.

James Haven’s interview points out his concern for Angelina’s health.

“Angie has become very thin because she’s grieving,” he admits. “It’s even difficult for her to eat. I keep saying to her, ‘Don’t forget to eat’

Angelina if you ever read this … eat! Eat healthy (lentils, veggies, ... ) Don’t let the “weight” of the world burden you down. Don’t “bite off more than you can chew” in your work. You got a houseful of kids depending on you. You need to stay healthy for them and be a good example.

Angelina has seen “a lot” of suffering internationally and she’s really doing a fine job levering her fame and money trying to make a difference. Still, she mustn’t let the injustices of the world overtake her. It’s too much for one person to bear. I’m hoping that’s not what’s going on in her head. I know it’s hard dealing with your mother’s death but combining that with a deep burden for the children of the world can be overwhelming.

I agree with Lilo, this latest adoption does seem … hasty … but then again who am I to really know what’s right for them.

One last thing. I hope Angelina has the love for her family as the focus and let her work revolve around it. It would be a real shame to set the UN job at the center and mold a family around it with the primary goal being ‘the cause.’

... I probably still won’t comment on Brangelina news for a while unless the story is really big. I feel I need to let this post stay at the top for a good while. After all, I sacrificed some good family time for this.