'I had my career and my music': Dolly Parton says she never 'missed' having children and starting a family

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dolly Parton hasn’t “missed” having children as that would have put her career on hold, and becoming a mother was not a “burning” desire for her.

Recently, during an interview with Saga Magazine, Parton, 77, opened up about her life decision that made her a legendary artist.

Dolly Parton says 'I had my career and my music and I was travelling'

Dolly Parton is not only known for her artistic creation but also for her noteworthy love story.

The ‘Jolene’ songstress met with her husband Carl Dean in 1964 at a laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee in 1964 and dated for two years before getting married in 1966. 

However, as a young couple, expanding the family was not in their cards as Parton shared, “When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t one of those burning things for me,” before adding, “I had my career and my music and I was travelling.”

The ‘9 to 5’ songstress went on to explain, “If I’d had kids, I’d have stayed at home with them. I’m sure and worried myself to death about them," per Daily Mail.

Parton knew that with her busy schedule as a full-time artist, it wouldn't have been possible for her to give proper attention to the child, thus she thought, “With everything that’s going on, I’d hate to be bringing a child into this world right now!”

However, not having a child of her own didn’t reduce the motherly love she harbored iwithin herself as she added, “I always say God didn’t let me have children so that all kids could be mine.”

Dolly Parton's relationship with her husband 

In 2021, in an interview Parton resonated the same idea as she admitted she was "almost glad she never had children" owing to a society that is tough and non-progressive.

Parton said to Mojo Magazine, "It seems like we’re not making any progress... Nobody’s willing to listen to anybody else," before adding, "Everything is out there. Kids know everything, they see everything, they hear everything. We have to discuss stuff."

She continued, “I know this sounds like a selfish, awful thing to say, but I’m almost glad I never had children. I worry myself to death about my little nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews," per Evening Standard.

However, the 'Coat of Many Colors' singer also shared, "My husband and I, we just think of ourselves as each other’s child," and noted, "He’s my only child, and I’m his only child.”