Mick Jagger admits he's become a 'laissez-faire' dad but says it's 'fun'

Sir Mick Jagger has said it's "fun" having children and that he's become complacent about parenting since becoming a father-of-eight.

The Rolling Stones rocker, who has fathered his large family with five women, welcomed his eighth child, son Deveraux, with girlfriend Melanie Hamrick in 2016.

"You get a bit out of practice [having children]," he said bluntly. "It’s not like riding a bike. 

"The more children you have, the more laissez-faire you get about them, to be honest and it depends on the child.

"They have their own personalities and you can mould them to a certain extent, but you see their likes and dislikes and encourage them to do things they gravitate towards," he continued.

"It’s fun to have children, at any age."

Jagger holding son Deveraux, now six, and three of his other boys (L-R) James, now 38, and Gabriel, now, 25, and Lucas, now 24 (Instagram)

Jagger, 80, also admitted he was absent for much of his other seven children's lives because of his hectic schedule with the Rolling Stones, but he was able to spend two years at home with Deveraux as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the live music industry.

"If you’re working, and always away, you don’t get to enjoy it [having kids] quite as much," he admitted.

"[When Deveraux was born] I wasn’t working so much, so I was able to spend more time. And then we had the lockdown. He’s only six, and two of those years I did almost nothing [with the band]."

Jagger is also father to daughter Karis, 52, with actress Marsha Hunt and Jade, 51, with Bianca Jagger.

He shares four children with model Jerry Hall - daughters Elizabeth, 39, and Georgia May, 31, and sons James, 38, and Gabriel, 25, as well as son Lucas, 24, with model Luciana Morad Gimenez.

The rocker and girlfriend Melanie Hamrick share his youngest child, Deveraux (AP)

Elsewhere in the interview Sir Mick said he still thinks about The Rolling Stones’ late drummer Charlie Watts when creating music as he would “always bounce things off him”.

“I miss his laconic humour. His taste in music. His elegance. His don’t-care attitude – he didn’t get intense. Keith and I get a bit intense…

“But Charlie wouldn’t, and it rubs off a bit – I’m not as intense as I used to be.”

The drummer formed part of the band’s original line-up alongside remaining members, guitarist Keith Richards and singer Sir Mick, who now perform with Ronnie Wood and Steve Jordan, the band’s drummer since Watts died.