Madonna pays tribute to son David on birthday with sweet throwback

Madonna's photos included a shot of her holding David as a baby, with her other arm around her eldest daughter, Lourdes. Another photo showed David in traditional Malawi dress, while in another, he was seen playing guitar. She then shared snaps from recent years, including one of him singing onstage with his mother, and a photo where he is dressed as Prince.

The 67-year-old first met David on a trip to Malawi in 2006 with her former husband, Guy Ritchie. She started the adoption process to bring him back to the US, which took two years to complete. The official adoption occurred in 2008, and he joined Madonna's ever-growing family.

She is a mom to Lourdes, 28, whom she welcomed with her ex-partner, Carlos Leon, and to Rocco, 25, whom she shares with Guy. After welcoming David, Madonna also adopted Mercy, 19, and twins Stella and Estere, 13, who recently celebrated their birthday with a Labubu-themed bash.

Speaking to British Vogue, the Grammy winner shared that out of all her children, David is the most like her, thanks to his "focus and determination". She explained: "I'm pretty sure [David] got it from me. He's the one I have the most in common with. I feel like he gets me; he has more of my DNA than any of my children so far."

She later shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that his fashion prowess was unmatched. "He can put on any outfit and look swag as you know what," she said. "It's really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them. He can even wear a dress and look butch."

David currently works as a guitar teacher in New York City, and has joined his mother onstage several times to sing duets or to accompany her on the instrument. Madonna explained that she wanted her kids to have the freedom to follow their passions in a Vanity Fair interview. She recalled that it had been a pleasure to see how "each of them has discovered their own creativity and that it comes from an authentic place."

"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," she told the publication. The "Vogue" singer added that motherhood had been "the most difficult, the hardest battle" and that she worked hard to raise her kids while dealing with the spotlight.

"Growing up with a mother like me is a challenge," she declared. "Today, I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job. 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."