Nicole Kidman has faced scrutiny over her Mother's Day social media post after two of her children were notably absent from the tribute. The actress shared a throwback photograph featuring herself alongside her two daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15, whom she shares with her ex-husband, country music star Keith Urban.
However, Kidman's older children from her previous marriage to Tom Cruise — Isabella "Bella" Jane, 33, and Connor Anthony, 31 — were neither mentioned nor pictured in the post. The caption read: "To my beautiful girls, the greatest joy is being your mother. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world."
Several fans quickly noticed the omission, with one commenting: "What about the other two kids?" Another wrote: "I thought you had four children. This is so odd." Others came to Kidman's defence, suggesting that the older children may have chosen not to appear on her social media platforms.
Kidman has previously addressed her relationship with Bella and Connor, expressing respect for their decision to lead private lives away from the public eye. She became a mother for the first time in 1993 when she and Cruise adopted Bella, followed by Connor a few years later.
Despite her split from Cruise in 2001, Kidman told Elle magazine in 2008 that the children were raised "amidst a lot of love." She later told the Australian Women's Weekly: "They are generous, kind and hardworking. And these are traits that I love to see in my children."
Kidman has previously spoken about her older children following their father into the Church of Scientology, a situation that has been linked to a rumoured family rift. Despite such reports, she has consistently spoken fondly of Bella and Connor and said she remains committed to supporting them.
"Motherhood is about the journey. There are going to be incredible peaks and valleys, whether you are an adopting mother or a birth mother. What a child needs is love," Kidman told the UK publication The Sun in 2019. "They have made choices to be Scientologists. It's our job as a parent to always offer unconditional love. It's not about anything else other than, 'I'm here to love and support you'."
Kidman has not been publicly photographed with her older children in over 15 years. While they may meet in private, the last notable public appearance together was in 2006 during her wedding to Keith Urban.
