Adele says motherhood has made her "cool and calm" about her musical comeback.
The singer, who has a three-year-old son Angelo with partner Simon Konecki, recently released her best-selling album - 25 - after several years of silence.
In an interview with Time magazine, the cover star said: "The other day I was saying, 'Oh God, I'm finding this really hard again with a kid. I have no time for myself because in between doing this, all my spare time is with him.
"But then I realised, he's been keeping me totally cool and calm about the whole thing."
She explained: "He makes me so proud of myself, and he makes me like myself so much. And I've always liked myself. I've never not liked myself. I don't have hang-ups like that.
"But I'm so proud of myself that I made him in my belly. Cooked him in my belly and then he came out of me! This human who's suddenly walking around and doing his own thing.
"I can't wait to know who his best friends are going to be, who his girlfriend or his boyfriend is going to be or what movies he likes... Whatever my kid wants to do or be I will always support him no matter what."
The singer, 27, has made an effort to shield her boyfriend and son from the public spotlight.
She said: "I think it's really unfair for anyone to want unlimited access to my family when we're not a brand. Some people do, and if you're happy to do it, then kudos - that's f***ing great. But I don't want my family to be part of my package.
"If my kid decides that when he's old enough to make his own decision that he wants to be known for being my kid, I'll be annoyed, but I won't stop him. I'll be like, 'It's your choice now.' But this was my dream. This isn't theirs."
Adele, who is shot for the cover in a red outfit with striking red lipstick, said she started writing songs about her son for her comeback album - but decided to bin them.
She explained: "He's the light of my life - not anyone else's."
Despite writing about previous relationships, she has also opted not to write about her partnership with Konecki.
"We're in a grown-up, adult, mature relationship," she said. "I didn't want to write about us, because I didn't want to make us feel uncomfortable."
Adele has so far decided not to release 25 on streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music - taking a similar route to Taylor Swift, who removed her music from Spotify in 2014 and subsequently wrote a letter to Apple asking the company to change its policy on compensation for artists.
On Swift taking a stand, Adele said: "It was amazing. I love her - how powerful she is. We'll get lumped together now because of it, but I think we would both feel the ability to say yes or no to things even if we weren't successful."
She added: "I don't use streaming. I buy my music. I download it, and I buy a physical (copy) just to make up for the fact that someone else somewhere isn't.
"It's a bit disposable, streaming... I know that streaming music is the future, but it's not the only way to consume music."