Pop Queen & Mom-Of-6, Madonna Opens Up On How The Digital World Impacted Her Relationship With Her Older Children
Music icon, Madonna who is a mom of six including her four youngest adopted from Africa has said she regrets ever giving phones to her children.
In a deeply personal interview with British Vogue, the 60-year-old single mom admitted that providing her older children with phones has had a negative impact on her relationship with them, as their lives are dictated by technology.
This is a problem millions of parents face when their teenage children become obsessed with mobile phones.Ā Itās a daily chore for parents advising children to get off their phones, or to stop staring at their iPads and reduce theirĀ screen time.
In the interview, the pop legend noted that mobile phone āendedā her relationship with her children, 22-year-old Lourdes and Rocco, 18. And so keen is the US singer to avoid the same happening with her 13-year-old son David, she is banning him from having a mobile.
READ ALSO: Is It Ok To Give Children Smartphones? Parents Explain The Pros & Cons
”I made a mistake when I gave my older children phones when they were 13. It ended my relationship with [my children], really. Not completely, but it became a very, very big part of their lives.
They became too inundated with imagery and started to compare themselves to other people, and thatās really bad for self-growth.”
After deciding not to give her David a mobile phone, the singer says:
āIām going to stick that one out for as long as possible.”
The Grammy winner also reveals her eldest daughter, 22-year-old Lourdes, has an unhealthy relationship with social media, admitting the criticism her daughter receives online has had a negative impact on her. She said:
READ ALSO: At What Age Should A Child Have A Mobile Phone?
”She doesnāt have the same drive [as me] ā and again, I feel social media plagues her and makes her feel like: āPeople are going to give me things because Iām [Madonnaās] daughter.
I try to give her examples of other children of celebrities like Zoe Kravitz (musician Lenny Kravitzās daughter), for instance, who have to work through that āOh yeah, youāre the daughter ofā.ā.ā.āā ā then eventually you are taken seriously for what you do.”
Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie adopted Malawian son David in 2006 and his promising football career saw the pop icon move to Lisbon where he is currently on the books of Benficaās academy.
Three years later, she headed back to the African country to adopt daughter Mercy James, now 12, before adding twins Esther and Stella, now six, to her brood in 2017.
Despite not being her biological son, Madonna says David has more of her DNA than her other children. She tells the magazine:
āWhat David has more than anything is focus and determination. Iām pretty sure he got it from me. Heās the one I have the most in common with.
READ ALSO: American Singer And Mom-Of-6, Madonna Took This Bold Step Because Of Her Son, David
Madonna also revealsĀ that LourdesĀ ā who she had with Cuban dancer Carlos Leon ā is pursuing a showbiz career, but is concerned about Ānepotism allegations. Using her nickname Lola, Madonna says:
ā[Lola] is insanely talented. Iām green with envy because sheās incredible at everything she does ā sheās an incredible dancer, sheās a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, sheās way better than me in the talent department. But she doesnāt have the same driveĀ that I have? No.
But she also has a mother, and I didnāt. She grew up with money, and I didnāt. So everything is going to be different. But what can I do? I canāt fixate on it. I just have to do my best.ā
Son Rocco, 18, is studying art in London and lives withĀ his father Guy Ritchie after the film-maker won a nine-month Ācustody battle in 2016Ā ā eight years after he and Madonna split.
In the interview, Madonna also discusses the ageism that has hampered her in her recent pop career. She says:
āPeople have always been trying to silence me for one reason or another, whether itās that Iām not pretty enough, I donāt sing well enough, Iām not talented enough, Iām not married enough, and now itās that Iām not young enough. Now Iām fighting ageism, now Iām beingĀ punished for turning 60.ā
Given the length of her career, the Queen of Pop has no contemporaries. She explains:
āThere are no living role Āmodels for me. Because nobody does what I do. Thatās kind of scary. I can look back at women who I think were great and amazing ā freedom fighters, like Simone de Beauvoir or Angela Davis ā but they didnāt have kids.
Being a single parent of six children, I continue to be creative and be an artist and be politically active, to have a voice, to do all the things that I do. So there isnāt anybody in my position.ā
Photo credit: Instagram