It's complicated: Madonna's Malawian blessing

Last week, Stella and Esther Mwale, four-year-old Malawian twins, hopped into a private jet and flew far away from their orphanage and abject poverty with their adopted mother, Superstar Madonna.

But many are not happy with this development and the kids’ new-found fortune. Why? Because some say  their father is still alive, and that the singer has flouted rules of the African country, which demand that adopting parents live there for 18 months before they get custody and what was the need to adopt when she already had four kids (two previously adopted from Malawi and two biological).

I say why not? Thanks to Madonna, these children have now secured a second chance at life, a future which gives them access to a good education and a guarantee that they will grow up together. They don’t have to worry about being adopted by parents who don’t want twins. Yes, they won’t be seeing much of their father but what kind of emotional support structure was he to begin with? An absentee father is really no good. Being a parent is a huge responsibility — a selfless and many a time thankless job and a lifetime of responsibility if you ask most Indians.

A few naysayers are saying parents in the region are getting tempted to ship their kids off to orphanages in the hope that a celebrity adopts them. But this is such a cruel allegation. Sending your child to live in a home is the last and final act of desperation. It might break a parent’s heart, but when they send them to an orphanage it means that they are not capable of looking after their children. And what is wrong if someone who can take on the responsibility gets to take care of your child? Madonna’s other adopted children — Mercy and David look positively happy. She regularly takes the kids back to Malawi so that they are in touch with their roots and even ensured her son was part of a traditional naming ceremony in his village. Even daughter Mercy visits her family every year in the region. Their past is no secret and the kids actually are getting to enjoy the best of both worlds. Also Madonna’s biological children have never complained about their mum adopting more kids and accept them with glee.

Unlike other celebs, say Michael Jackson or even Angelina Jolie, who believed in having the kids home-schooled and brought up in isolated environments, Madonna is rather different. Her kids have a routine, go to regular school, mingle with other kids everyday and it is said that she is particular about extra-curricular activities. She is said to be a strict mum too. Another thing that critics are very upset about is Madonna’s recent troubles with biological son, Rocco. The teenager refused to live with her and went to stay with his father. The singer then lost a high-profile custody battle and was, according to the tabloids, “very upset”. But the mother and son are now back on talking terms though he still prefers to live with his British movie director dad. 

Many feel why take on the responsibility of two more kids when you need to resolve differences with an existing one. Well, if she suddenly fell pregnant and had twins, nobody would be saying anything and to be fair, it is easier to deal with four-year-olds at times than teenagers! Kids, even the easy-going variety are not easy to bring up, ask any parent at around 9am in the morning. So she and Rocco have issues, but they are working on them. 

Coming back to the twins from Malawi, it’s not just a life of luxury that they have landed themselves in, but also security, something which should be the right of every child.