Country Singer Thomas Rhett Reveals What He Doesn't Want to Regret as a Dad (EXCLUSIVE)
Published May 14 2021, 4:19 p.m. ET
Aside from being a multiplatinum-selling country artist, Thomas Rhett is a total #GirlDad.
The musician and his wife, Lauren Atkins, are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters: Willa Gray, 5, Ada James, 3, and Lennon Love, 1. And they have another baby girl on the way!
When he's not traveling the country playing gigs, Thomas likes to spend time with his family.
The country star recently partnered with The Outsideologist Project, from the makers of Claritin, to help spread the word about getting kids to enjoy the outdoors an extra hour each week. Distractify spoke exclusively with Thomas about why he thinks it's important for kids to put down the electronic devices and what outdoor activities he likes to do with his girls.
Thomas Rhett talks teaching his kids to love the outdoors and why it's important to get outside.
It's no surprise that — as a Georgia native — Thomas loves outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and hunting.
"As a kid, I was outside way more than I was inside," he exclusively told Distractify. "I do feel like getting to play with my friends in the neighborhood or going fishing with my dad or going hiking with my friends, you’re forced to be creative. You’re forced to let your imagination run."
As a father of three (soon-to-be four), the "Country Again" singer explained that it's easy to just sometimes give your kids an iPad to keep them entertained.
But he doesn't want to regret his parenting decisions later in life. "I don’t want to look back in 25 years and be like, ‘That was the dad that I was,'" he said.
Thomas explained that he and his wife have made it their mission to teach their daughters about the outdoors. The family has taken several road trips across the United States.
He said, "Hopefully, one day when they get older with their own families they’ll be like, ‘I remember when my dad took me to the Grand Canyon or took me down the street to go fishing.’ Things that we can teach them that we loved about our childhood that hopefully, they can teach to their kids as well."
Thomas Rhett reveals that his latest album was written from the "guilt" of missing moments with family.
In 2021, Thomas released "Country Again: Side A," which delved deeper into the singer's southern roots. In his hit single "Country Again," Thomas sings about trading sunsets with his wife for moments on his phone and not being present in the moment.
"That’s a lot of where this whole record was written from, just a lot of that guilt and being like, ‘Man, I've been missing out on so much because I’ve been so distracted by social media or just technology in general,'" he said.
He continued, "I don’t want my kids to make that same mistake growing up. The more quality time we can spend with our kids, especially in the outdoors, I just think the better the memory and the better the bond you’re going to create with your family." He added, "2020 made me realize that I had been doing too much of the screen time and I forgot how much I love to be in the outdoors."
