Angelina Jolie Lets Her Kids Watch Disturbing TV News Reports. Is That A Bad Thing?

Angelina, who is visiting flood-ravaged Pakistan, says she told her kids about where she was going, and that they helped her pack. But is that making her kids worry about possibly losing their mom?

Angelina Jolie is quite the supermom — managing a family of 8, keeping her relationship with Brad Pitt hot, starring in action flicks, and of course, saving the world. The 35-year-old shares many of her adventures with her children — letting them see her perform her own stunts, and explaining to them why she travels to far away places without them — but is Angelina sharing too much with her little ones (Maddox, 9, Pax, 6, Zahara, 5, Shiloh, 4, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 2)?

Angelina, who is currently visiting flood-ravaged Pakistan, said in a Sept. 8 interview on CNN that her kids are very familiar with the potentially scarring images of displaced children seen on the news and that they are very aware that she went there to help the two million people who have lost their homes and have nowhere to sleep — a terrifying thought for adults — much less children under the age of 10

“I told my children why I was going and they’ve seen the news,” Angelina told CNN. “I do try to teach them as much as I can… I explained to them why I was packing flashlights and food. They help me pack some things.” Is it a cause for concern that the Jolie-Pitt TV repeatedly displays images of starving, homeless, orphaned children — and that Angelina’s kids know their mom is going to be right there in the middle of the chaos with them? Child psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Lawrence Balter says as long as Angelina explains things to her kids, it’s OK.

“It is best if she reassures the children that she is taking proper precautions to keep herself safe,” he tells HollyBaby.com. “She should also explain the reasons for her activities. It can be good for children to learn that their parents have strong beliefs and the courage of their convictions.”