Dolly Parton Reveals Why She Never Had Kids

Dolly Parton is undoubtedly one of the most iconic figures in Country Music of all time. She is beloved by listeners of all ages. Despite her large family and her strong bond with kids, she and husband Carl Dean have never had children of their own. And according to Parton, that’s the way it was meant to be.

In an interview with the Today show, Parton talked to host Matt Lauer to promote her first children’s album, I Believe in You. She also works with kids through her charity Imagination Library, which has provided nearly 100 million free books to young children.

During the interview, Parton said fate 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 probably was his plan for me not to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine. And they are now.”

Previously, Parton has said she used to regret not having children, but now doesn’t feel that way, and has instead become close 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 told Billboard.

She told Lauer that kids are just drawn to her, just like everyone else is, and she credits her large family and her appearance for that. “I have that high-pitched voice … I look like Mother Goose or one of those over-exaggerated characters, and kids just relate to that,” she said.

Parton, 71, says she’s now in her “second childhood,” which made it a perfect time to release songs for children. All the proceeds from the album go to Imagination Library. Watch the full interview at Today.com.