Madonna wishes herself a happy Father's day, praises 'every parent out there doing their best to nurture'
Madonna wished herself a Happy Father's Day and marked the occasion by sharing several images of herself with her children on her Instagram.
The 'Queen of Pop', 61, has six children: Lourdes Leon, 23, with ex-boyfriend Carlos Leon, Rocco Ritchie, 19, and adopted son David Banda, 14, with former husband Guy Ritchie, and three other adopted children, Mercy James, 14, and twins Estere and Stella, 7.
In a tribute to all the mothers and fathers across the world, she praised everyone "out there doing their best" to raise their children. "Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire and Teach! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ #lola #rocco #david #mercyjames #estere #stella" she wrote.
The post, which has been liked close to 300,000 times, featured intimate photos of her with each of her six children.
You can check out the Instagram post here.
In one of the snaps, she could be seen resting her head on Lourdes' shoulder as they enjoyed an Alexander Wang show together in 2016. In another, she and Rocco were enjoying the scenery on a 2016 vacation they took together to Malawi – the same country from where she adopted David in 2006.
In a third photo, she was posing in matching Versace pajamas with David, as well as her three other adopted children, Mercy, Estere, and Stella. She also shared a picture where she pulled an animated expression as she hugged Mercy in a village fro a getaway, and posed with one of her twin daughters.
This isn't the first time that the legendary singer has celebrated herself on Father's Day either. In 2018, she posted a selfie on Instagram and asked her 15 million followers, "Do I look like a Dad here? 🏋️♀️. Wishing myself a Happy Father’s Day! 🎉🎉🎉 #momdad"
The 61-year-old had also celebrated her children on Thanksgiving and shared a rare picture of her together with all six of her children as they holidayed in Malawi. "What I am Most THANKFUL for!" she captioned the post. "Children have led me down roads and opened doors I never imagined I’d walk through.♥️" Expressing her gratitude, she continued, "Fame, Fortune and Records Broken could never equal that which I treasure and value most. 🙏🏼 #blessed#grateful #children #family 🌍 Happy ThanksGiving from Malawi!"
Madonna shares a special connection with Malawi and has visited the African nation several times after founding the charity 'Rising Malawi' in 2006. In July 2016, she and her children had stopped at orphanages where David and Mercy had been adopted from, and a year later, they went to the country again for the opening of the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care at the Queen Central Hospital, which Raising Malawi funded.
In an interview with Vogue Italia in July 2018, the 'Like A Virgin' singer gushed about her children. "Because of my work and traveling around the world, the things that I do and the places I find myself in, my children are very open-minded about everything, and I’m very proud of that."
"A lot of people say to me, ‘You must really want your son to be a successful soccer player, your oldest daughter to be a dancer, Rocco to be a painter,'" she continued. "And I always say, ‘No, what I want my children to be is loving, compassionate, responsible human beings.'”
