Dolly Parton is undoubtedly one of the most iconic country music figures of all time.
She is loved by listeners of all ages. Despite her large family and her strong bond with children, she and her husband Carl Dean have never had children of their own. And according to Parton, that's the way she was meant to be.
In an interview with Today, Parton spoke with host Matt Lauer to promote her first children's album, I Believe in You. She also works with children through her charity's Imagination Library, which has provided nearly 100 million free books to young children.
During the interview, Parton said that her destiny led her to be a mother to everyone instead of just a mother to her own children. “God has a plan for everything,” she said. “I think it was probably his plan for me not to have children so that everyone's children could be mine. And they are now.'
Previously, Parton had said that she used to regret not having children, but now she doesn't feel that way and instead has reached out to her younger siblings and her nieces and nephews. 'Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, 'Aren't you glad we didn't have kids? Now we don't have kids to worry about,' she said. Billboard.
She told Lauer that boys are just drawn to her, just like everyone else, and credits her big family and her looks for that. "I have this high-pitched voice. I look like Mother Goose or one of those over-the-top characters, and kids just identify with that," she said.
Parton, 71, says she's in her 'second childhood' now, which made it the perfect time to release children's songs. All proceeds from the album go to the Imagination Library.
