Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Talk Parenting on ‘Reba’ Podcast

Find out the secret to this country star and his wife's baby-raising approach.

Written by Chris Parton
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Talk Parenting on ‘Reba’ Podcast
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: (L-R) Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins attend the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for dcp)

Country icon Reba McEntire welcomed one of the genre’s favorite husband-and-wife duos to her Living & Learning with Reba McEntire podcast this week, chatting all about parenting with Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins.

The reigning ACM co-Entertainer of the Year and his wife are famously the parents of three adorable (and rambunctious) young girls, so they’ve got plenty of wisdom to share — especially when it comes to raising good people.

Speaking about how they are raising their kids — Willa Gray (5), Ada James (3) and Lennon Love Akins (10 months) — TR and Akins said they do some things differently from their own parents. But that’s because some things are too important to budge on.

“I feel like our parents were both like, ‘Why don’t y’all just let ‘em eat ice cream? You know, at 10 o’clock at night?” Thomas Rhett said with a laugh. “And we’re sitting there going “Because you don’t have to put ‘em to bed.”

“Yeah. My dad was fairly strict,” Akins added. “Both my parents are really, they’re goofy, they’re just, they love life and love adventure. And so I think I pull that from both my parents and I try to make things adventurous and fun and not take life too seriously, because it just, it’s not worth it. But, like I said I feel like we are pretty strict about how our kids speak to people and treat each other. And we’re big on being kind and using kind words. Especially, now…

“I feel like there’s just so much in the world that, and of course a lot of it is, because it’s on social media and you’re able to see a lot of the good and a lot of the bad,” she went on. “But, I think even more so now Thomas Rhett and I are just trying to place that emphasis on just being kind.”

The show also included an interview with author Glennon Doyle (who is the wife of American soccer player Abby Wambach and the writer behind hit books like UntamedCarry On and Warrior), to discuss her “untamed” approach to motherhood. Check it all out in the embedded player above.