After adopting their eldest daughter, Willa Gray, from Uganda in 2017, Thomas Rhett and wife, Lauren Akins knew they’d be faced with some tough questions from their little one as she got older. Now, 6 years old and asking tough questions, Thomas admits he had no idea they’d be coming from her at such a ripe age and doesn’t feel quite as ready as he thought.
LISTEN NOW: Thomas Rhett discusses parenting with Hoda Kotb
“It’s hard, you know," Rhett confided to Hoda Kotb on an episode of her podcast, Making Space with Hoda Kotb. “You think when you become a parent you’re like, 'Well, I’m a dad. I have all the answers.' You know?"
Kotb, who is a mother to two adopted children of her own was able to relate to Rhett and even compare notes as she is navigating a similar situation in her home.
“What questions is Willa Gray asking or are your other daughters asking?” Hoda questioned. “And how have you guys navigated that? Because I’ve got two kids from different countries and you know, for sure, there are questions.”
Rhett was quick to admit he is far from having all the answers and also has many lingering questions about when the right time to have an in-depth conversation with Willa is.
"Really intense questions, you know?" he answered. "I don't know if you've felt this at all, but it's kind of like, 'Well, what age? What age is the right age… Maybe we need to wait until she's 10, you know what I mean?’”
Rhett continued on to share Willa already expresses interest in going to visit Uganda, but she doesn’t quite understand the full picture.
“She has questions all the time,” he shared. “She talks to Lauren, she's like, 'When can we get to see my friends in Uganda?' And then Ada James will be like, 'When can I go see our friends in Uganda?' And Willa Gray will be like, ‘Well, they're not your friends, they're my friends.'"
Regardless of the challenges, Thomas and Lauren say they have more than enough room in their hearts and home to welcome another adopted child, but Rhett has told Akins they need to take a break first.
“Since the day we got married, she's like, ‘I want to have five,’" Rhett shared surrounding his conversations with Lauren about children. “And I'm sitting there going, ‘That's fine, you know, that would be great.’ So I told Lauren, ‘Let's have five, but let's take a four-year deep breath.’”
Seems fair, especially as Thomas begins to hit the road again after a break during the pandemic. Thomas is currently promoting his brand new album, Where We Started, available now.
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