Madonna Praises Her "Incredibly Talented" Children In Heartwarming Post

It can be hard to watch your babies grow up. You miss the days of their sticky little hands and adorable mispronunciations and sweet tiny hugs. But not enough people talk about the joy of having big kids. Watching your children grow into their own individuals — with their own dreams and talents — is heartwarming and humbling. Just look at Madonna, who recently took to Instagram to sing the praises of her four youngest children, who joined her in performing on her latest tour.

The Celebration Tour celebrates Madonna’s forty-year career and has already hit 80 performances around the world. It also just happens to be a family affair. The iconic multi-hyphenate was joined on stage by her children David and Mercy, 18, and twins Stella and Estere, 11. On Instagram, she posted pictures of her children in action, and captioned them with a heartfelt tribute to their tenacity and skill.

She wrote

On the day before our 80th show of the Celebration Tour I need to acknowledge my incredibly talented children who carried me through this Journey each of them bringing their own unique talent to the stage. Rehearsals began over a year ago with almost a 2 month break waiting for me recover from a near death experience. They never stopped practicing… they never stopped cheering me on and supporting me. There enthusiasm kept me Going!!! They were also going to school and rehearsing every night. !! . am so very proud of all of them. I think what my children learned the most this year of rehearsing and performing is that if you want to follow your dreams, you have to work hard for them. And if all of them choose something different later in life, they will never forget this year of blood, sweat, and tears. Nor will I. ♥️It’s a CELEBRATION!

The “near death” experience the singer alluded to was a severe bacterial infection. So severe, in fact, that she was placed in a medically induced coma. After passing out in her bathroom, she woke up in the ICU 48 hours later. “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children,” she wrote on Instagram in July. During a concert in Brooklyn later that year, she elaborated, saying that she woke up to all six at her bedside (David, Mercy, Stella, and Estere as well as Lourdes, 27 and Rocco, 23). She says that after joking that she had to “almost die” to get them in one room, she thought about her mother “because my mother died of cancer and she was by herself.”

“I was thinking, what if I left my children? That would destroy me if I left my children at this moment in their lives,” she said, before continuing, “How scared she must have been to know that she was going to leave us all behind.”

Fortunately the Grand Dame of Pop is back to her hard-working, fabulous self with kids in tow. As of press time, she’s wrapping up a week in Mexico City before continuing on to the final performance in Rio de Janeiro.