My children's kindness has been very healing to me: Angelina Jolie

American actress Angelina Jolie is touching in her unique bond with six kids.

In this week's PEOPLE — the 2021 Kindness Issue, the 46-year-old spoke exclusively about the pressures and virtues of watching her children grow up.

"They're pretty great people," she began, praising her children Maddox, 20, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and 13-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

Sharing that she tries to keep a friendly relationship with her children, Jolie revealed: "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."

"I have six very individual human beings in my home. I am so excited about all the different stages and feelings and curiosities that they go through. Why wouldn't you be?" Jolie tells PEOPLE. "We're supposed to help them figure out who they are. And you can't figure out who they are if you don't enthusiastically develop with them."

Jolie further added, "I'm not a perfect parent by any means," she says, adding, "Every day I feel like I'm more aware of everything I don't do right. And I'm pretty tough on myself, because I feel often, 'Am I doing the right thing? Did I says the right thing?' "

"My children have done many, many loving things. My children's kindness has been very healing to me," concluded the Eternals actor on a grateful note.