Madonna admits that being a mom is not easy.
“Growing up with a mother like me is a challenge,” the pop icon, 64, said in her cover story for three different European editions of Vanity Fair.
“It has been the most difficult, the hardest battle.”
Madonna has six children: daughter Lourdes, 26, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend, Carlos Leon; son Rocco, 22, with ex-husband Guy Ritchie; and David, 17, Chifundo ‘Mercy,’ 16, and twins, Estere and Stella, 10, whom she adopted from Malawi.
“Today, I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job,” the “Vogue” singer revealed.
“Because, 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 Grammy winner says that she derives much pleasure in seeing how “each of them has discovered their own creativity and that it comes from an authentic place.
“I have never encouraged my daughter Lola to make music or my son Rocco to paint. But I’ve always exposed them to art, to music, and I’m happy that they’ve found ways to express themselves. I have respect and admiration for them and for what they do.”
Madonna, whose own mother died at the age of 30 from cancer when she was just five, says that “much of my happiness” comes from her children.
“And also to a great extent the inspiration that some artists give me,” she added.
Earlier this week, the “Evita” star announced that she would be embarking on a “Celebration” tour, honoring her four-decade career. The 35-city trek kicks off July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 8 champ, Bob the Drag Queen, as her opening act.