Ricky Martin & His Twin Boys

Ricky Martin talks fatherhood in the April issue of Advocate Magazine,

“Every decision I make and everything I do is based on their needs,” the singer, who is currently appearing on Broadway in Evita, tells the mag. “I don’t want to sound cliché, but they teach me new things every day.” Valentino and Matteo, now 3½, were born in 2008 via a surrogate after Martin fertilized a second woman’s donor eggs with his sperm, never revealing his identity to either. Martin jokes he “ate a lot of protein” and rested “before he got the cup”.

“Valentino is mister peace and love. He loves flowers and nature. If I ever wonder where he is, he’ll be somewhere behind the bushes covered in mud,” says Martin. “I know this sounds crazy, but I think he mediates. He goes under the water. I’m like, ‘He’s gone. He’s traveling right now.’ He’s very Zen and noble.”

Matteo, on the other hand, much prefers to take charge — even if it’s over his own brother! “He’s more alpha and a leader,” Martin, 40, says. “He’s like, ‘You don’t do that, this is what you do.’ He tells his brother what to do and what not to do.”

Determined to be a hands-on father, Martin brought his sons on the road during his promotional tour for his latest album Musica + Alma + Sexo, and while the group were “every other night … on a plane,” the twins’ company proved to be priceless.

“The crew was building the sets and they’d stop what they were doing and smile and say, ‘Hi Valentino, hi Matteo,’” Martin recalls “They are tools of healing, of love, these two. The crew would go back to focusing on their work and dealing with their stress, but those five seconds with the kids were very beautiful for them.”

Martin has surrounded himself and his boys with a loving support system, which not only includes his mom Rose and the family nanny, but his partner of four years, Carlos Gonzalez Abella, as well. “He leaves the house every day in a suit and tie and that is so sexy. It’s two different worlds — his and mine,” the singer reveals. “I know as much about his world as he knows about my world, which makes it really cool.” While they may be on two different pages professionally, the couple are completely in sync in their personal lives; Both Martin and Gonzalez Abella are determined to provide Valentino and Matteo with stability. “There’s a lot of love and a lot of communication. He’s guided by the approach I take with the kids, he imitates it perfectly,” Martin says. “The other day [Carlos] said, ‘I was looking for a boyfriend and God gave me a family.’ I said, ‘That’s beautiful, but you were looking for a real man with a family and you got it.’”