Christina Aguilera Cries as She Opens Up About Protecting Her Kids from Her Trauma: 'Such a Layered Thing'

The singer is a mom to son Max, 16, and daughter Summer, 10

Christina Aguilera is opening up about the tricky balance between protecting her kids and giving them freedom.

The "Genie In a Bottle" singer, 43, got emotional during a candid conversation with Glamour about her experience with motherhood. As a mom to son Max, 16, whom she shares with ex-husband Jordan Bratman, and daughter Summer, 10, whom she shares with fiancé Matt Rutler, the musician admits that watching her little ones grow up can "trigger" her own childhood traumas.

“Your kids trigger things in you that you don’t want them to go through,” she told the outlet. “And it’s almost like you’re reliving this whole thing again.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Christina Aguilera Shares Adorable Snaps with 9-Year-Old Daughter Summer Rain: 'Me & Mine'

She continued to explain the dichotomy between wanting to protect her kids from experiencing the same traumas she did and letting them learn their own lessons. “I love my son and my daughter so much, and you do want to shield and protect them from the world,” she said, tearing up. “But they have to learn their own lessons.”

“I’ve seen so much so young,” Aguilera added, “You just want the best for your kids.”

The proud mom of two called the process of letting go both "layered" and "interesting," sharing, “They’re going to make their own choices and mistakes that define how they want to be. It’s such a layered, interesting thing to be a parent and watch these people, these humans, grow up.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

In January, Aguilera revealed Summer set her sights on becoming her manager — or “daught-ager” as she has now aptly been named — after spending time behind the scenes at her Las Vegas residency, which began on Dec. 30.

Speaking with Vogue, the singer said, “After my show on New Year’s Eve, Will.i.am comes backstage and my daughter’s there. She’s so enraptured by the world behind the scenes and the production of everything, and she loves the band and the background singers ..."

“Before I go on stage, she knows I get nervous, and she’s like, ‘You’re going to do great, mama,’ ” the singer continued. “My manager will be like, ‘She’s coming for my job!'"

"And on the way to school the other day with her dad, she said, ‘When I grow up, I want to either be mama’s photographer or mama’s manager.’ It’s so funny.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.