Mom may seek custody of 2 Jackson kids

LOS ANGELES, July 2 (UPI) -- A judge in Los Angeles ordered a week's delay Thursday in a hearing on custody of Michael Jackson's children requested by his ex-wife and mother.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff postponed the hearing in Superior Court from July 6 to July 13, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. A court spokeswoman said a scheduled hearing on Jackson's estate will go forward Monday.

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and mother of his two older children, said she plans to seek custody of her son and daughter.

"I want my children," she told KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, in an interview Thursday.

However, Rowe's attorney, Eric George, told the Times later in the day she "has not reached a full decision" on seeking custody.

Rowe -- who told the station she would submit to a DNA test to prove she is the biological mother of the children -- surrendered her parental rights when she divorced Jackson. The Los Angeles Times reported she was definite in testimony eight years ago.

"I had the children for him," Rowe said. "They wouldn't be on this planet if it wasn't for my love for him. I did it for him to become a father, not for me to become a mother. You earn the title 'parent.' I have done absolutely nothing to earn that title."

Rowe, 50, a resident of Palmdale, Calif., may have a strong case now as the only surviving biological parent. In his will, Jackson designated his mother, Katherine, who is 80, as the guardian to all three children, with Diana Ross, 65, named as a backup.

Jackson's third child was born to an unknown woman in unclear circumstances. The mother's name is not on the birth certificate, media reports have indicated.

Jackson died June 25 at age 50.