Britney Spears has been taking parenting advice from Madonna.

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, three, and Jayden James, two, on tour with her.

A source said: "Madonna gave Britney some great advice about her kids. Madonna told her, 'Keep them close when you re on the road. I have always taken my kids on the road with me. It s a life they learn to accept, as long as they re with their mom. 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, 27, said: "I do think it's all about history. What we as mothers are doing is creating this history with our kids 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 kids to say, 'Wow, my mom was working hard but she was there for us'."

However, there are some parts of her show which the Womanizer star won't allow her boys to see.

An insider explained to Britain's Hello! magazine: "She wants them around all the time. Except maybe not for the parts of the show she thinks are too suggestive. A couple of times along the way Britney's mother Lynne has taken the boys out of the arena when the show gets a little outrageous."