These are Madonna's six children

Madonna may be in her sixties, but she is still an active singer and songwriter with a global fan base. When she announced a new world tour in January 2023, tickets sold out in a heartbeat. "I don't take any of this for granted," she said about it on TikTok. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world."

Yes, you read that right. Sixty-something Madonna is on TikTok, calls herself a 'girl', and is once again touring around the world. And all the while she's as busy as she's ever been, the Queen of Pop has six children, too. Maybe they are what keeps her young.

Why did Madonna want to have so many children? In an interview with People, she basically said: Why not?
"Sometimes I would just close my eyes and just think, 'Why isn't my kitchen filled with dancing children? There's so many children that need a home... What am I waiting for? Just do it.'"

And so she did. Madonna has two children from previous relationships and four adopted children. "Most of my happiness comes from my children," she said to E! News. "To witness their growth, to watch them evolve, and then to find the things they love."

As People reports, the singer got her first tattoo in 2020 to honor her children, placing the initials of each of them on her wrist.

Being a mother of six is by no means an easy job. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna said: "It has been the most difficult, the hardest battle. Today I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job."

She continued: "Whoever you are, having children and raising them is a work of art. And no one gives you a manual. You have to learn from mistakes. It is a profession that requires a lot of time. And it is exhausting because there is never rest."

The six children are, in order of their ages, Lourdes Leon (1996), Rocco Ritchie (2000), David Banda (2005), Mercy James (2006), and the twins Stella and Estere (2012). Let's get to know each of them.

Photo: Madonna / Twitter

On 14 October 1996, Lourdes Leon was born out of Madonna's relationship with dancer and personal trainer Carlos Leon. According to People, Madonna wrote the song 'Little Star' in honor of her first-born daughter.

Lourdes, or Lola as she is also known, grew up between the Latino culture of her dad and the pop scene of her mother. When she was only seven years old, Lola already appeared alongside her mom on the stage of the MTV Video Music Awards.

Currently, the young woman pursues a career as a model, writer, and singer. She has worked for Rihanna's Savage x Fenty line, Mugler, Swarovski, Burberry, and Marc Jacobs. In August 2022, she released her debut single 'Lock&Key.'

Rocco is the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie, who were married between 2000 and 2008. He was born on 11 August 2000.

For a while, as a young boy, Rocco was at the center of an intense custody battle between his parents. As a teenager, he often fought with his mom. However, on the Ellen DeGeneres show he said that Madonna "is a good mother… She's very strict but in a good way."

Rocco has had various jobs as a model and actor, but he mostly likes to paint. His visual art was initially signed by the pseudonym 'Rhed,' but eventually, Rocco came out as the true creator of the works. He now has a studio in London.

When she decided to adopt children to love them and have them 'dance in the kitchen,' Madonna also committed to helping out the region they were from. She promised to collect money through her foundation, 'Raising Malawi,' for medical care and schools.

David was born in Malawi on 24 September 2005. Madonna and Guy Ritchie got to know David when he was barely 1 year old, but due to local legislation, they had to wait to formally adopt him until 2008. By that time, the couple Guy-Madonna was nearly history.

David loves to dance, as Madonna proudly demonstrates on her Instagram accounts. She regularly posts videos of him showing off his dancing skills. In addition, David is a gifted soccer player.

We must also add, though, that David Banda is revealing himself as quite the fashionista. In a way that reminds us of his big sister Lola, David breaks gender norms and wears avant-garde outfits.

Mercy was born in Malawi on 26 January 2006. After settling her divorce with Guy Ritchie, Madonna filed a formal application for the adoption of Mercy as a single mother. It was granted in 2009.

Mercy James has generally stayed out of the spotlight. From Madonna's Instagram stories, as reported by HollywoodLife, one can tell she is a thrill seeker. In 2021, Madonna's family took a trip to a skate park to celebrate Mercy's 15th birthday. A year later, for her 16th, they went to a Six Flags adventure park.

Madonna makes the connection to her adopted children's home country by building charitable projects there. In this photo, Mercy James is giving a speech during the opening ceremony of a pediatric hospital wing that had been added to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the city of Blantyre. The name of that new wing? Mercy James Children's Hospital.

The youngest of the family are the twins Stella and Estere. They were born in Malawi on 24 August 2012, and Madonna adopted them in 2017 when they were 4 years old.

Photo: Madonna / Twitter

Madonna told People Magazine about the twins: "It's like they were always here."It didn't take long for them to get acclimated." Both girls like to dance, like their brother David, and Stella is a great piano player too.