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Madonna – the mother of two biological children Lourdes Leon and Rocco Ritchie as well as four adopted children David Banda Mwale, Mercy James, Estere and Stelle - is as rebellious and provocative as they come but it turns out that when it comes to parenting, the Queen of Pop is as strict as one can be. Forget sweets, cream and meat as well as dating and TV.

Surprised? Don’t be. After all, there had to be a reason why Rocco was so adamant to stay with his father Guy Ritchie (who, by the way also divorced Madonna due to her crazy rules he was forced to follow while married to her) in London as opposed with his far too strict mother in Manhattan.

Rocco has been allowed to stay with his father and Madonna didn’t take the news well at all. She even took to posting a picture of herself on Instagram stating the fact that sometimes moms have to get a little crazy. If that’s not a sign of overtly controlling mother, we don’t know what is.

They Must Follow A Macrobiotic meal plan

Madonna follows a strict macrobiotic, vegetarian and organic plan – think low-fat smoothies and steamed vegetables - so it only makes sense that she wants her kids to follow it too. Of course, back when her and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie were still together he had to follow the bizarre plan too. This meant no chipolata sausages during Christmas because sausages are a processed food and that is a big no-no for Madonna.

He also apparently had to drink his tea with rice milk because Madonna did not allow dairy.

Sugar and sweets as well as salt, cheese and preservatives are of course also banned which Ritchie thought gave the kids an unrealistic and unhealthy attitude towards food. (Source: DailyMail)

TV, Magazines And Newspapers Are Banned

Can you imagine a life with no TV, magazines or newspapers? We can’t either and yet such life is the reality that Madonna’s kids face. Apparently, Madonna believes that TV harms the development of her kids so she has banned it from her household.

According to Manchester Evening News, Madonna has said –

“TV is trash. I was raised without it, I didn't miss anything. TV is poison. No-one even talks about it around here. We don't have magazines or newspapers in the house either."

Granted, that was 12 years ago but we can’t imagine that much has changed. Rocco spends most of his time with his dad so we presume that he watches plenty of TV and Lourdes is all grown up so she can make her own decision. The other four kids however are not that lucky.

No Leaving Your Clothes On The Floor

You know when you’re too tired at the end of the day to fold your clothes and put them back into the wardrobe, so you just throw them on the floor? We all do it. Or rather, most of us do. Madonna’s kids, however, are strictly forbidden to engage in such careless behavior.

And if they do, they are punished – Madonna takes away their clothes and refuses to give them back until their behavior improves.

Madonna has once confessed how she deals with Lourdes sloppiness, according to Page Six magazine – “She has to earn all of her clothes back by being tidy, picking up things in her room, making her bed in the morning ... She wears the same outfit every day to school until she learns her lesson.”

Phones Allowed Only After A Certain Age

We often envy the children of celebrities and wealthy parents for we expect them to have the latest gadgets out there. However, in most cases that never happens. Take Madonna for example – she did not give Lourdes her very first iPhone until she turned 15 years old.

According to NY Daily News, Madonna then half-joked, saying – “Ever since my daughter got an iPhone she stopped talking to me.”

But Madonna doesn’t just decide when her children get their first mobile phone – she also decides when they are allowed to use it. For example, last year she took Rocco’s phone away when she thought it interfered with his studies. Some believe this is what pushed Rocco to seek protection at his dad’s.

In addition, last year Madonna told People Magazine that David and Mercy are not yet allowed to have phones even though all of their friends already do.

Kabbalah Water Only

Madonna is, or at least was at some point, really into Kabbalah – an ancient Jewish tradition of esoteric interpretation of the Bible. Indeed, she was so into Kabbalah that she insisted her children drink only Kabbalah water, which is basically incredibly expensive spring water that has been blessed by Kabbalah religious leaders.

When Madonna and Ritchie divorced, Madonna insisted that Ritchie ensure that the kids only drink this specific water, even if it is only used to dilute orange juice.

Rumors have it that Madonna even wanted to fill her swimming pool with this spiritual water as well as introduce a few fountains filled with Kabbalah water into their garden but Richie stepped in and put a stop to this ridiculous idea. (Source: TheGuardian)

No Toys That Are “Spiritually Unsound”

When Ritchie received the infamous list of rules Madonna’s children were to follow in his household, one of the rules specified that no toys that are spiritually unsound or ethically unclean should be given to the kids.

What does “spiritually unsound” and “ethically unclean” mean exactly, you may wonder? Does it mean toys that are cruelty-free, ethically produced and harmless to the environment and society? We are not sure and we doubt that Ritchie knew what Madonna was talking about either. This is definitely one of the weirder rules that Madonna enforces upon her kids.

No Clothes Made Out Of Man-Made Fibres

Another rather strange rule that Madonna supposedly wanted Ritchie to enforce on their kids was no clothes made out of man-made fibres. Specifically, the rule stated that the kids should only wear clothes sent by Madonna but if for some reason new clothes were to be bought, they had to be made from natural fibres, such as cotton or wool as opposed to man-made fibres such as polyester.

When you think about it, that kind of makes sense – natural fibres are certainly much better for you and your skin than man-made ones but wearing only natural fibres seems a little obsessive. (Source: PageSix)

They Must Talk To Madonna A Specific Number Of Times During The Day

Another rule that seems normal at first glance but rather strange when you look into it is one that states that Madonna’s children must talk to her every day when they are away. This is another one of those rules from the infamous list which Ritchie received upon his and Madonna’s separation.

While the rule seems more than normal at first glance, it actually states that Madonna should be allowed to talk to her kids three times a day at the times set by Madonna, which is where it becomes weird. We're sure that both Rocco and Lourdes follow this rule to this day.

No Boyfriends Or Girlfriends And Dates Supervised By A Bodyguard

The provocative and rebellious Queen of Pop has found it hard to come to terms that as her children grow they will inevitably start dating. Back when Lourdes was still a child, Madonna said, according to Today, that she won’t let her daughter date until she is 18 years old –

“No boys for [Lourdes] until she turns 18. She’s a good girl, though. She doesn’t have it easy. Late-night TV, junk food and mess are not tolerated in my house.”

Of course, that was a bit unrealistic, so when Lourdes started dating the actor Timothee Chalamet when she was 16 years old Madonna had to take back what she said. But instead of just letting her daughter enjoy her dates with her new boyfriend, she sent a bodyguard to make sure that all went smoothly.

Strict Rules When It Comes To Homework And School

Most kids hate school and homework which means that most parents have to be strict when it comes to education. Madonna is, of course, no exception. She tells her kids that if they want to make it in the world they need to be educated and they need to know how to start and finish a project.

That makes sense. However, Madonna also confessed that she also tells her kids that they need to be grateful because many kids all over the world don’t get a chance to go to school even though they want to. According to Independent newspaper, Madonna said – “And then, of course, the other weapon is: 'There are kids all over the world who are dying to go to school, who cannot, and here you are complaining about it. Shut up and go to school.’” Say what you will, that is a little harsh.

The Little Ones Are Only Allowed To Be Read Books Written By Madonna

Few people know that Madonna wrote a number of children’s books, the most popular being called The English Roses. The English Roses series focuses on the lives of five girls named Nicole, Amy, Charlotte, Grace and Binah. Madonna also wrote a few other children books including Mr. Peabody’s Apple, The Adventures of Abdi and Lotsa de Casha.

Of course, all of these books come with a moral at the end so that children can learn a valuable life lesson with every book they read.

That’s pretty cool, right? Well the weird thing is that when Madonna and Ritchie split up, Madonna insisted that Ritchie only read her book The English Roses to their son David before bedtime. Since the book is about five girls, we’re not sure that David appreciated it much. (Source: TheGuardian)

They Must Regularly Clean Their Hands

This rule is not weird at all but it is weird that Madonna felt like she had to specify it in her list of rules that she sent to Ritchie after their divorce. We’re sure that Ritchie actively enforced this rule – after all, what kind of parent would let his child handle things such as food with dirty hands?

Indeed, this rule is rather worrying in that it suggests that Madonna may be obsessed with regularly cleaning her children’s hands with disinfectant – it is one thing to make sure your kids clean their hands after coming home, touching pets or using the bathroom but it is a different matter altogether to do it constantly as it may cause kids to develop germophobia.

Early Curfew

Children love staying out late at night and parents worry whenever they do so. So it makes sense that Madonna has enforced a strict curfew. However, apparently this curfew is much too early and may have contributed to Rocco’s decision to live with his dad Guy Ritchie instead of the Queen of Pop.

According to NY Daily News, an insider close to the family said – “He can meet his friends, eat fast food, he doesn’t have an early curfew. The story is his father manipulated him, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

They Must Be Okay With Her Oversharing On Social Media

Madonna is often criticized for oversharing her private life, and the private lives of her children, on social media.

She may think that posting personal matters or personal pictures online will make her seem more relatable and “real”, but her kids certainly don’t appreciate this breach of privacy.

It is said that Madonna’s son Rocco was very upset when the Queen of Pop posted a picture of him with his hair up in two ponytails on her Instagram page, captioning it as “Blonde ambition #rebelhearttour” as well as when she posted a video of him doing a backflip in orange underwear, captioned as “Rocco’s preferred profile #nosausage.”

She Wants To Decide Their Future For Them

Madonna has worked hard to get where she is today so it comes as no surprise that she wants her kids to work hard too so that they become the best versions of themselves. However, her controlling behavior seems to have gone too far.

A few years ago, in an attempt to control her son’s Rocco’s future, she threatened him with military school in order to straighten him out.

This of course further served to fuel Rocco’s desire to stay with his dad Guy Ritchie. A source close to the family, according to Page Six, said – “Guy is adamant Rocco should be free to choose to live where he wants to.” And since no kid wants to go to military school, Rocco's choice was a no-brainer.

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