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Madonna Is the Happiest, Proudest Mom as She Celebrates Rocco’s 16th Birthday

Rocco Ritchie and Madonna perform during the MDNA North America tour opener at the Wells Fargo Center on August 28, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rocco Ritchie and Madonna perform during the MDNA North America tour opener at the Wells Fargo Center on August 28, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He’ll always be mama’s little boy. Madonna was the happiest, proudest mom as she shared several throwback photos of her son Rocco on Thursday, August 11, in honor of his 16th birthday.

“Happy Birthday to my First Born Son!” the 57-year-old pop icon captioned an image of Rocco striking a pose behind a fur shield while in Malawi. “A true Warrior with a beautiful Heart. Let the Sun shine!” She added a whole slew of celebratory emojis, including a star, a sun, a birthday cake and confetti.

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In another post, the “Vogue” songstress shared a black-and-white image of herself carrying Rocco as a toddler. “Once my baby always my baby,” she captioned the sweet photo. “Happy Sweet 16!” A third image shows a toddler Rocco Photoshopped onto a photo of a present-day Rocco, with the caption, “Happy Birthday Wild Child! Time waits for no one!!”

Madonna and her son have had a rocky relationship in the past, with Rocco refusing to return to live with her in the United States after visiting his father, Guy Ritchie, in London last December.

Related: Madonna's Son Rocco Forced to Visit Her in NYC for Holidays in Court Ruling

The exes then engaged in a bitter custody battle over the teen, who made it clear to his attorney that he did not want to return to NYC to live with his superstar mom.

Once my baby always my baby. Happy Sweet 16! ????????????

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on

Sources told the New York Posts Page Six that both Rocco and his sister Lourdes were seeking “stability,” but that their mother’s demanding touring schedule made that difficult to come by.

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The siblings have since reconciled with their mother, and in July the trio made a journey to Malawi with their brother David to witness a ceremony wherein David was given his tribal name.

Happy Birthday Wild Child! ??? Time waits for no one!! ⏱⌛️⏰??⏰????????

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on

Madonna happily chronicled the family’s trip, and captioned one photo of herself with Rocco: “Oh Africa you have filled our hearts with joy and appreciation!”

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