Inside Rosario Dawson’s Sweet Bond With Daughter Isabella Over the Years

Rosario Dawson and daughter Isabella have been inseparable since she welcomed her into the family as a preteen.

In 2014, Dawson adopted Isabella when she was 11-years-old. Since she was a little girl, Dawson always dreamed of adopting a child. The actress’ motherhood aspiration was inspired by her own family situation, as she learned at age 5 that her dad was not her biological father.

“Growing up in the neighborhood that I grew up in, I was like, ‘Oh, so then I could be like some of my friends who have single-parent households. Like, that could be me,’” she exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2018. “So I remember I told my mom at 5 that when I got older I was gonna adopt and I was gonna adopt older.”

Dawson’s dream came true when she first met Isabella and knew that she was destined to be her daughter.

“I didn’t go to an adoption center or anything like that,” Dawson said in a February 2021 interview with Health magazine. “My family knew her biological mom, and when we found out she was in foster care, we looked for her. It wasn’t even a question; it was clearly meant to be — she’s my kid.”

Keep scrolling to see Dawson and Isabella’s bond over the years:

Celebrating Milestones

Ahead of Isabella’s sweet sixteen, Dawson reflected on how she cherishes spending those pivotal occasions with her daughter.

“My daughter is about to have a sweet sixteen, so that’s the birthday we’re talking about in our household — it’s like there is no other birthday, this is the birthday,” she explained to InStyle in February 2019. “I think there are times when you take birthdays for granted, and I really want to take advantage of the fact that reaching 40 in my generation is different than it was for my grandmother and for my mom.”

She continued: “I don’t know if I’m going to go jump from a helicopter or do a bungee jump, but I want to be out there, celebrate, and be in appreciation of who I get to share this with — and that will be my sweet 16 year old.”

Questioning Mom’s Coolness

Dawson recalled a time when Isabella had picked out an outfit for her mom to wear to an Oscars after-party. After the actress decided to bail, Isabella was not impressed.

“I was ready to leave, and then I was just like, ‘Do I really want to go all the way across town?’ I changed into pajamas and my daughter was like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” she said to The Cut in April 2019. “She saw that picture of Madonna with Lady Gaga the day after. She’s like, ‘Your priorities are all screwed up, mom. You have to hang out with Madonna.’”

Becoming a Family

In 2021, Dawson opened up about what it was like to welcome Isabella into her home.

“To have a young person move in with you and to have to really consciously work through triggers and that kind of stuff is a really different thing than being pregnant and having your baby grow up in front of you — to be able to see how we’re getting closer and closer,” she explained to Health magazine. “We are a family, and it’s beautiful.”

From Mom to Grandma

Dawson revealed in December 2023 that Isabella was expecting her first baby. The Ashoka star shared that the news was “very exciting” and she couldn’t wait to become a “Glamma.”