Madonna Says It's Important Her Children Admire And Respect Her Partner

In the December issue of Harper's Bazaar, Madonna says it's important to her that her children, Lourdes, 15, Rocco, 11, David, 6, and Mercy, 5, "admire and respect" who she's having a relationship with. Currently dating Brahim Zaibat, she reflects on the man she wants in their lives.

She said, "It's important that my children admire and respect this partner that I would choose for myself. Especially for my sons, who have their father but they need a male role model as well. So I need to keep this in mind: What is this person modeling to my sons, what kind of man is he, what values does he have, what energy is he giving off? Because they are impressionable. It's so important."

The W.E. director also admitted she has to apologize for the unwanted attention fame brings them.

She shared, "The other day, I was out on the street with Lourdes. She wasn't feeling well and had a fever. She was wearing her tracksuit bottoms and her T-shirt, and she turned around and was like, 'Ugh, there's a paparazzi, and I look like s**t.'

I felt for her because, I thought, this is an extra layer. It's already a challenge to have a teenager, then to have a teenager in New York City, and on top of that, she's the daughter of someone famous. It's a lot. I'm aware of it, and I constantly find myself apologizing for it. But it also provokes many discussions with us about what's real and what isn't real."

Education is top priority and with Lourdes working with her on the Material Girl collection, she makes sure her daughter knows what's important.

She revealed, "I say to Lourdes, school work always comes first, so anything that gets in the way of that falls by the wayside. We put our energy in education."