Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman Want Their Daughters to ‘See the World in a Beautiful Way,’ Despite Recent Tragedies
“There’s darkness in the world and at some point you want to keep your kids from that because you want [them] to enjoy childhood and imagination and see the world in a beautiful way," Urban shares.
Over the past several months, many tragedies have befallen people across the United States. From the destructive September 2017 hurricanes to the devastating California wildfires, the strength of the human spirit is incomparable in the aftermath.
The event that struck closest to home for the country music community was the mass shooting in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Festival that occurred while Jason Aldean was on stage. For many of Aldean’s peers, who happen to be parents to young children, finding the words to explain what happened to their little ones has been difficult, but together with their significant others, they have been able to navigate those tricky conversations.
“There’s darkness in the world and at some point you want to keep your kids from that because you want [them] to enjoy childhood and imagination and see the world in a beautiful way, but at some point learning how to navigate that is crucial for not letting the darkness tell you how to live,” singer Keith Urban told PEOPLE on the red carpet of the 2017 CMT Artists of the Year event, with his wife Nicole Kidman by his side.
“And that’s what we’re all in the midst of right now: How do we not let that kind of darkness change our living so much that it’s taken all the color out of it?” he continued. “How do we keep color in our life, and how do we keep it intimate and open and vulnerable? It’s love. It’s what we’re dealing with. How do you love vulnerably, but protect yourself? It’s a real balance.”
Explaining the concept of love and hate to their daughters, Sunday, 9, and Faith, 6, has been difficult since the tragedy struck so close to home for the couple.
“They saw some things on the news, and it affected the country music community in such a massive way. They knew when they saw us reeling. And they’re so connected to us, they’re like, ‘What’s wrong?’” shared Kidman. “So we’re in it together, trying to raise our children in this time. How do we navigate it, how do we protect, yet still give them strength and still keep them moving forward and focusing on what’s beautiful?”
Urban previously spoke about his conversation with his daughters when he address the crowd at a vigil in Nashville the day following the shooting.
“My 9-year-old, as I was driving her to school this morning, said to me, ‘Dad, you seem quiet.’ I said, ‘Yeah, a lot of people (were) killed last night.’ She said, ‘Did you know any of them?’ and I said, ‘Not that I know of.’ Then she said, ‘Then why are you so sad?’ I said, ‘First of all, these were innocent people horrifically taken, and secondly, they’re like family.’ It’s the one thing about country music that’s always been the center of it — it is community. So I did know those people, in that way,” Urban told the crowd at the time.
“The Fighter” singer will continue to show Sunday and Faith what it means to love with your whole heart as he prepares to take part in the Country Rising benefit concert, featuring performances from Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, George Strait and Carrie Underwood. The show will benefit The Country Rising Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which was created to support victims of the September 2017 hurricanes: Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria. The fund will now support the immediate and long-term needs of both the hurricane victims and the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy.
