Dolly Parton said in an interview that her not having a child is not by accident; that’s how it was meant to be.
The Country legend is beloved by listeners of all ages, but she and husband Carl Dean have never had children of their own.
Today show talked with her to promote her first children’s album, I Believe in You. In addition to that, 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.”
“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.
During the interview, she 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.