"9 to 5" singer Dolly Parton has been married to her husband Carl Dean since 1966, but despite
their love and Parton's adoration of children, the two had never had any of their own.
Her clear devotion towards children can be seen in her philanthropy projects, her children's
album, and a number of other child-friendly projects she has embarked upon.
Nevertheless, the popular and iconic country superstar says that she's glad she and her
husband never had kids.
So what's the reason for Dolly and Carl's choice to not bear any children of their own?
In past interviews, Parton has revealed that she and her husband did think about having
kids when they first got married.
She recently told HuffPost that, at one point, kids were on the table for the pair.
Parton explained:
"I grew up in a family of twelve, and there's eight children younger than me.
If we'd had a girl, she was gonna be called Carla...Anyway, we talked about it, and we
dreamed it, but it wasn't meant to be."
Parton went on to say:
"You always wonder.
My husband and I, when we first got married, we thought about if we had kids, what would
they look like?
Would they be tall, because he's tall?
Or would they be little squats like me?"
Now that the two are older, they're glad they didn't have kids.
Although Parton thinks she would have been a great mother, she believes she would have
had to give up on everything else.
She said:
"Because I would've felt guilty about that, if I'd have left them [to work, to tour].
Everything would have changed.
I probably wouldn't have been a star."
Although she's relieved about it now, when she was in her 30s, she was told she wouldn't
be able to have children at all after a partial hysterectomy in 1984.
This news deeply saddened her at the time.
Parton told HuffPost:
"Suddenly I was a middle-aged woman.
I went through a dark time, until I made myself snap out of it."
When asked about adopting, Parton said:
"I guess I didn't have the time.
I had my career and all, I had younger brothers and sisters, so I had that responsibility
and that joy and that duty."
Despite not having her own children, kids still love her, and Parton thinks her resemblance
to Mother Goose is what makes kids want to be around her.
She told Country Rebel:
"I have that high-pitched voice...I look like Mother Goose or one of those over-exaggerated
characters, and kids just relate to that."
The singer-songwriter has devoted her life to taking care of children, through both her
charity, Imagination Library, and her children's album I Believe In You.
Her charity has donated over 100 million books so far, while all proceeds from the album
go to Imagination Library, which she started 22 years ago because her dad couldn't read
or write.
"I've done something good.
I've done plenty bad, I'm sure, but I just hope that I'll be remembered well."
The truth is, Parton is a family person through and through.
"I worry enough about my brothers and sisters and their children, my little nieces and nephews,
and just other people's children."
Asked about her decision to produce a children's album, she said:
"I write personal songs for my little nieces and nephews and friends, so it just seemed
to be a good time."
And because she grew up in such a large family, Parton feels she truly understands children.
She told HuffPost:
"I'm the perfect grandma, I'm the perfect aunt, I'm the perfect babysitter, because
I don't have children.
So I bring them over to visit me by choice.
They don't get dumped on me.
And when I do keep them, if they get out of line, all I have to do is imply that I'll
take them home or call their mom to come get them."
Parton has even decorated her house with kids in mind.
She told MadeForMums:
"I got tree houses.
I got caves.
I love to babysit 'cause it gives me a chance to play."
So although Parton was unable to have children of her own, it's clear they're still a huge
part of her life, just as she is a huge part of theirs.
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