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Country singer Chris Lane wasn't sure he wanted kids until meeting Lauren Bushnell: 'Everything changed'

Chris Lane opens up about life as a new dad with wife, Lauren Lane. (Photo: Getty Images; designed by Quinn Lemmers)
Chris Lane opens up about life as a new dad with wife Lauren Lane. (Photo: Getty Images; designed by Quinn Lemmers)

Welcome to So Mini Ways, Yahoo Life's parenting series on the joys and challenges of childrearing.

After a quarantine-filled 2020, Chris Lane is wasting no time getting back to work. Only this year, he'll have a new addition with him on the road: his son, Dutton. The country star and his wife, Bachelor alum Lauren Lane (née Bushnell), welcomed their first child together on June 8. Although the couple is currently experiencing many sleepless nights — "he's got his days and nights mixed up" — Chris told Yahoo Life he wouldn't change a thing.

"We're so blessed," Chris said, admitting he wasn't always sure he wanted to be a dad. "It was just because I had not met the right person."

The "Big, Big Plans" singer, 36, opened up about newborn life, what he's thriving at so far in fatherhood and how he plans to keep a work-life balance when he embarks on his "Fill Them Boots" tour next month.

How did you and Lauren come up with the name Dutton? Was it inspired by Kevin Costner's character, John Dutton, on Yellowstone?

Absolutely it was. We're fans of the show and that's where we first heard the name. Even though it was his last name, we thought it sounds like a cool first name for a boy.

How have the first two weeks been? Are you guys getting any sleep?

You know, it's been a really good. The sleep thing has probably been the hardest part 'cause I'm pretty positive he's got his days and nights mixed up. He likes sleeping all day long, but when it's time to go to bed he wants to stay awake. So it's been a little exhausting, but outside of that, it's so good. We're so blessed and lucky to have him in our life.

Where do you find yourself thriving so far being a first-time parent?

Lauren has been thriving at everything. I've really loved watching her be a mom, she's so good at it. For me, I haven't necessarily thrived at anything other than my one way of calming him down is to play the guitar. I think he's a little mesmerized by the sound of it. So when he's screaming, I immediately grab the guitar. Maybe now I need to figure out how to play the guitar while I'm changing his diaper.

I was really struck when you said recently you spent your whole life thinking you didn't want this.

Yeah. You know what? I think it was just because I had not met the right person. I was thinking, one day having kids of my own, getting married, all that kind of stuff was not something I necessarily wanted. A lot of that is because for a young artist, you spend a lot of time away from home. It's really hard to make a relationship work and all that kind of stuff. But when I met Lauren, everything changed and I'm so thankful that it did, because I feel like I'm living my best life right now.

Has anyone warned you what going on tour with an infant might be like?

A lot of my artist buddies have kids and they love it so much because when you walk off stage, you can be with your family. You don't have to spend so much time away from them, it's really positive. Dutton may not come out right away, but maybe in the next three or four months. I think walking off stage to see Lauren and Dutton will be a game changer.

Have you gotten any advice from other singers about how to manage a work-life balance on the road?

No one's really given me much advice on that yet, but I think family comes first over everything. That's how I'll think about it. Obviously I want to be out on the road touring as much as possible and that's why I'm thankful that Lauren has a job that allows her to travel when she wants to travel, and she don't have to when she doesn't want to. I think that will give us a good work-life balance because I can still have that piece of my life with me on the road. That's a cool part about what I do.

How will you find special moments with your family on the road?

I think Lauren and I will be able to duck out for date nights. I think Lauren's family will come out on the road, so they can play a little bit of babysitter so we can get away for a couple hours. We haven't had that moment yet where we've been away from him yet and have some time to ourselves and go do something as simple as just going out to eat!

What can fans expect from your tour?

It will be a high energy show from top to bottom. Hopefully there's a little something in there for all ages, even kids too. Hopefully people are walking away at the end of the night saying, "Wow, that was a fun show. I want to go see that guy again."

Truly, I miss being out on the road and being in front of fans. I know people at home can really relate, which is why I'm incredibly excited to be working and partnering with Drinkworks to kick off this Press Play Sweepstakes. It's a good way to catch up with friends and family over loud music and good cocktails, which is what summer is truly all about.

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