Madonna's Daughter Mercy James Is Growing Up Fast

Legendary singer Madonna is mother to six children: Lourdes Leon and Rocco Ritchie, her biological children, and David Banda, Mercy James, and Stella and Esther Ciccone, her adopted kids. Madonna often shows off her brood on Instagram, sharing with fans happy moments from family holidays and special occasions.

Some might remember Madonna faced difficulty adopting her fourth child Chifundo "Mercy" James in 2009. Her initial adoption application was denied because she was not a resident of Mercy's native Malawi, according to The Sun. Madonna then re-filed and was granted the right to adopt her daughter on June 12, 2009. "I was accused by a female Malawian judge that because I was divorced, I was an unfit mother," she explained in an essay published by Harper's Bazaar. "I fought the supreme court, and I won. It took almost another year and many lawyers... I do not regret one moment of the fight."

More than a decade after Madonna's successful adoption of her baby girl, the "Material Girl" hitmaker is celebrating Mercy's milestone 16th birthday, and a look inside their festivities shows she is really growing up.

Madonna's grown-up daughter Chifundo Mercy James was all smiles for her 16th birthday. James' famous mother shared a video to Instagram on January 24, showing off her family's b-day celebration for the teenager at Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Southern California. "Magic Mountain with Mercy James for her B day!" Madonna wrote in the video's caption. The 90-second clip sees Madonna's daughter hanging out with her siblings and mom. Also present for the outing was Madonna's boyfriend of two years Ahlamalik Williams, who is 36 years her junior.

Madonna gushed over her daughter on her special day in a separate Instagram post."The Kindest, Most thoughtful, most Magical Girl on the Planet!" Madonna wrote of James, who was seen in the video surprised by a room full of birthday balloons. "There is no one like you!"

In 2021, Madonna took her daughter on a fun outing similar to their latest trip to the skatepark for Mercy's 15th birthday. Madonna described the celebration as a "SkatePark extravaganza" on Instagram, showing off Mercy's skateboarding skills with her friends and family in a series of photos. "Warrior in training!!" Madonna wrote of her daughter.