Elon Musk is an icon of the modern age and a successful entrepreneur and inventor. His companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have pushed the boundaries of electric cars and space exploration. Along with his highly publicized success, it’s no surprise that many want to know more about his personal life. One of the most interesting facts about Musk is the ages of his children.
Musk has six children, five sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Nevada Alexander Musk, was born to Musk’s first wife, Justine Wilson, on May 4, 2002. Nevada passed away when he was just 10 weeks old due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Musk and Wilson had twins in 2004, Xavier and Griffin Musk. While Griffin is a few minutes older than Xavier, they are both 14 years old. Musk had another son, Damian, with then-wife Talulah Riley in 2006. Damian is 12. Musk and Riley divorce twice and Musk had another son, Kai, with British actress Talulah Riley in 2014. Kai is now five years old.
In 2016, Musk had a daughter — X Æ A-Xii — with musician Grimes. Musk explained the origin of his daughter’s name on Twitter, saying it was “X, the unknown variable; Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love and/or Artificial intelligence); A-Xii, my contribution.” X Æ A-Xii is now around four years old. Finally, Musk had another son, Saxon, with musician Claire Elise Boucher (known as Grimes). Saxon is two years old. Considering Musk is 49, he was the father of two-year-old Saxon at the age of 47, an example of a father that doesn’t let his age stop him.
Musk has taken an active, selfless approach as a father. His current wife, Canadian musician Grimes, said: “He’s a really hands-on dad and it’s incredible to watch. He was doing the night feedings with X and he told me that of the three sons he had with his first wife, he did zero night feedings. He said, ‘I just saw the error of my ways.'”
Musk is no stranger to controversy or business mistakes, but one area he never fails to dominate is raising his children. He also taught them the basics of coding, algebra and helped them set up their own companies. “Make sure that you learn as much as you can and challenge yourself to become better,” he said about his children in an interview.
Support System
Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, is an integral part of his family system. Despite being 74 years old, she is an active figure in her grandchildren’s lives and provides them with emotional and additional educational support. She is a model and nutritionist and is best known for appearing on the cover of ‘Time’ magazine in 2019.
Maye Musk shares a special connection with X Æ A-Xii, being the first woman in the family to learn sign language due to the young child’s hearing impairment. Maye is not only a source of support for her grandkids, but for her son as well. “She’s a great listener and an incredibly calming presence,” Musk says.
Connection with Nature
Musk is always surrounded by his family, but the family environment is also built on incorporating nature into their daily lives. The Musk family often takes trips to National Parks, allowing them to reconnect with nature and create shared experiences. During one of these trips, Musk took his sons to the Yosemite National Park, allowing them to explore nature, as well as the principles of creating a business. Musk had taught his children the basics of coding, and during the time in Yosemite, they learned the art of business. Xenia, Musk’s eldest daughter, said: “He was teaching us the skills of leveraging funding to really distinguish ourselves from those contestants [at business events].”
Grimes also shared her experiences with their children in nature, noting that “[i]t’s so cool how unafraid [Elon is] of nature and teaching the kids about wildlife and going for walks in the forest and not needing all these electronic devices to keep us entertained.” Grimes also noted that Musk’s oldest son, Damian, loves to play chess, showcasing that the Musk children enjoy nature as well as intellectual activities.
Relationships with Peers
The Musk children enjoy their time away from technology and have formed meaningful relationships with their peer groups. Common activities that they partake in include outdoor gaming and sporting events. Musk’s oldest daughter, X Æ A-Xii, has been nicknamed “soccer girl” because of her love of the game. Her soccer coach, Timothy Jucker, said in an interview that she “is so elegant and smooth…she can really run the field.” Grimes added that her young daughter also has an impressive knowledge of animal dinosaur facts and history, showing Musk’s ability to foster an enjoyable, learning environment for his young children.
Playtime with Dad
In addition to spending time in nature and building relationships with her peers, X Æ A-Xii spends a considerable amount of time with her father, who takes her to her soccer matches and remains a consistent presence in her life. Musk has also taken to Instagram, uploading videos of himself playing with his children and sculptures he has made for them. He also posted a video of himself and X Æ A-Xii playing with a Nerf gun, which has since gone viral.
Musk’s relationships with his children are certainly a unique and impressive feat. He manages to balance his career and personal life while also creating meaningful and joyful experiences with his children. Maye Musk sums it up perfectly in an interview: “Elon is a great dad, he loves his kids, he’s a good leader, and he has so much fun with them. It’s nice to see them all playing together.”
Education
Musk understands the importance of a comprehensive education, and thus ensures that his children are able to access the best education available. His eldest son, Xavier, is enroled in a private school in Los Angeles with a special focus on the Holocaust and in software engineering. His son, Griffin, is enroled in a public school in Los Angeles and was recently accepted into an applied sciences program for gifted students. Damian is enroled in an unaccredited private school located in Bel Air and focuses on learning Chinese, robotics and programming.
In addition to the school system, Musk takes a special interest in educating his children about the fundamentals of business as well. On one of his trips to Yosemite National Park, Musk had arranged a business competition between his sons. They were each given $50 and had to come up with creative solutions to generate more money through the resources available to them. Musk then judged each of their solutions, providing feedback and constructive criticism. This experience proved invaluable to his sons, as it allowed them to use the fundamental principles they had learned in the classroom, while also giving them the opportunity to apply them practically.
Family Connections
The Musk family has also developed strong relationships with their extended family. They often invite their grandparents and aunts and uncles over for barbecues and family dinners, allowing them to connect with members of their extended family. Musk’s parents, for example, have been a strong source of support for their children, even in their old age. They have served as active figures in their grandchildren’s lives and taken special care to ensure that their education and development is on track.
Each of the Musk children also stays in contact with their guardians, who help to keep the family connected and take part in family activities. During their visits, they often share stories, which have the added benefit of teaching the children more about the history of their family and the values that their family members have grown up with. These connections help to provide a strong source of emotional support for the Musk family.
Philanthropic Endeavours
Since his childhood, Musk has been a selfless person who gives back to the community. He is a well-known philanthropist and his children have followed in his footsteps by committing to philanthropic endeavours. Musk, who himself has donated millions of dollars to charity, encourages his children to be conscientious about their wealth and welfare. He has often taken them to tour volunteer organizations in order to help them process the emotional turmoil of the people they meet.
Xavier and Damian have both become involved in volunteering with their school. Grimes also shares her passion for philanthropy with her children, often taking them along as she supports a number of charities. Together they have worked to provide support to animal rescue organizations and provided donations to food banks. It is remarkable how Musk has been able to instill in his children a sense of altruism that could stay with them for life.
