LONDON: Britney Spears decided to take her sons — Sean Preston, three, and Jayden James, two — on tour with her after Madonna told her it would be good for them as a family unit. The Toxic singer has revealed she consulted her idol — who raises three children — when deciding whether or not to take her young sons, Sean Preston, and Jayden James on tour with her. A source said, “Madonna gave Britney some great advice about her children. Madonna told her, ‘Keep them close when you’re on the road. I have always taken my children on the road with me. It’s a life they learn to accept, as long as they’re with their mum. You want to look back on those years and know they are with you. They’ll look back on these years too and they’ll be very glad to have those memories.’ “

Britney — who is accompanied on her ‘Britney Spears Presents the Circus’ tour by her sons and ex-husband Kevin Federline, who has primary custody of the children — agreed with her mentor’s view and hopes them seeing what she does first-hand will impress them. Britney said, “What we as mothers are doing is creating this history with our children that we can look back on and say, ‘Yeah, that was hard. But it was fun because we did it together.’ When they’re adults I want my children to say, ‘Wow, my mum was working hard but she was there for us.’ “