Legendary singer Dolly Parton said she has no regrets about never becoming a mother, during a recent interview with Saga Exceptional.
The iconic artist immersed herself in her career and never stopped long enough to start her own family. “I haven’t missed it like I thought I might,” she said. The 77-year-old explained that motherhood wasn’t front and center for her. “When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t one of those burning things for me,” she told Saga Exceptional.
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Parton admitted she had other priorities that kept her busy and required her focus. She told the magazine she passionately threw herself into music at a young age, which was a fulfilling path for her.
“I had my career and my music and I was traveling,” she said, as she explained the busy lifestyle that comes along with being a world-famous celebrity.
Parton went on to say that the current state of the world wouldn’t be the best landscape for parenting.
“If I’d had kids, I’d have stayed home with them, I’m sure, and worried myself to death about them,” she said.
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“With everything that’s going on, I’d hate to be bringing a child into this world right now,” Parton added.
Parton clarified that she loves children, even though she didn’t go on to have biological children of her own. She told Saga Exceptional she connects with her great-nieces and nephews and actively participates in their lives. She dons a “Granny Claus” costume each Christmas and dresses up for them, among other bonding moments they share, according to the magazine. (RELATED: ‘I Would’ve Gone Under In A Much Darker Way’: Angelina Jolie Says Motherhood Saved Her)
Through her humanitarian efforts as part of the Imagination Library initiative, Parton has also gifted more than 220 million books to children around the world.
“I always say God didn’t let me have children so that all kids could be mine,” she told Saga Exceptional.