Sparrow Madden | Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s Son

A child turns 11 only once, and a father and mother are usually proud of their children at this stage, considering they just about hit puberty—a challenging phase for them. So for Sparrow Madden’s 11th birthday, Joel Madden chose to post a throwback photo of the two of them. The younger Madden can be seen riding on her father’s neck. The two seem very happy and content.

For those who wonder where Sparrow’s name originated, Joel gave credit to the song Sparrow by Simon and Garfunkel. He probably loved the music, and it served as an inspiration to the name. Meanwhile, Nicole Richie has always been a hands-on mom. At one time, when they were at the LAX, headed somewhere else, we could see Richie holding on to Sparrow, protecting him from any harm. We can speculate that he would grow up to be a traveler someday.