It seems like yesterday that your baby was just a bit bigger than the size of your hands, doesn’t it? The best country songs about kids make you feel bittersweet that your children are becoming more and more mature. We put together our top 10 country songs about children with parents in mind, but you certainly don’t have to have kids to love any of these songs. Tim McGraw, Gary Allan, Brad Paisley and more have all written country songs dedicated to children, so enjoy this playlist and try your hardest not to cry! This list includes country songs about children leaving the house, your kids getting married, and other happy but sad moments in life with your kids.
1. Kenny Chesney- There Goes My Life
“There Goes My Life” by Kenny Chesney is a country song about kids that definitely brings the tears at the end. In the beginning of the song, the narrator is reluctant about having a child, saying “there goes my life” in a selfish way because they will no longer be able to do the things they could before having a kid. However, towards the end of the song, the child has now grown up and is leaving the house, and when the narrator again sings “there goes my life,” it has a completely different meaning.
2. Tim McGraw- My Little Girl
As you probably guessed from the title, “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw is about his daughter. The narrator of the song is singing to his daughter, acknowledging that she is growing up fast, but that she’ll always be a baby in his eyes- “Go on, take on this whole world / But to me you know you’ll always be, my little girl.”
3. Rodney Atkins- “Watching You”
Released on his 2006 album If You’re Going Through Hell, “Watching You” is a sweet song that actually takes on a different meaning then you think. The title of the songs sounds like it’s about a parent watching over their child, but in this case it’s actually the other way around. “Watching You” is about how children are always watching and imitating their parents for better (the second verse) or for worse (the first verse.)
4. Heartland- “I Loved Her First”
The debut country single from Heartland, “I Loved Her First” is a very touching country song sung from the perspective of a father. He is letting his daughters boyfriend know that as her father that he loved her first- “But I loved her first and I held her first / And a place in my heart will always be hers.” This song is perfect for fathers who are dealing with their daughter dating her first boyfriend, or even getting married.
5. Brad Paisley - He Didn’t Have To Be
From his debut studio album Who Needs Pictures in 1999, “He Didn’t Have To Be” by Brad Paisley is a very emotional song about a child’s positive relationship with their step-father- “Lookin’ back all I can say / About all the things he did for me / Is I hope I’m at least half the dad / That he didn’t have to be.”
6. Gary Allan- Tough Little Boys
The narrator in Gary Allan’s “Tough Little Boys” was once a tough young boy who got into fights and wasn’t scared of anything, but as soon as he becomes a father to a child he becomes a worry-wart- “My wife would just laugh / She’d say I know all about men / How when tough little boys grow up to be dads / They turn into big babies again.”
7. Trace Adkins- Then They Do
Released as the only single from his album Greatest Hits in 2003, “Then They Do” is a country song about kids turning into adults right before their father’s eyes- “I swear that I can’t wait till they grow up / Then they do, and that’s how it is / It’s just quiet in the mornin’ / Can’t believe how much you miss.”
8. The Oak Ridge Boys- Thank God For Kids
Originally written and recorded by Eddy Raven in 1972, “Thank God For Kids” was later made popular by The Oak Ridge Boys 10 years later on their 1982 Christmas album. The song describes the little things about having children that bring you so much joy in life, and how it’s fun to live as a child vicariously through your kids- “We’d all live in a quiet house / Without Big Bird or a Mickey Mouse / And Kool Aid on the couch / Thank God for kids.”
9. Martina McBride- In My Daughter’s Eyes
“In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride is a touching country song about children and the innocence that is seen through their eyes. The narrator understands that no matter what her past is like, regardless of any sins or darkness in her life, that in her daughter’s eyes she is a hero- “In my daughter’s eyes everyone is equal / Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace / This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak.”
10. Billy Dean- Let Them Be Little
From his seventh studio album of the same name, “Let Them Be Little” performed by Billy Dean is a sweet country song about the innocence of children, and how you want them to stay young and innocent as long as they can.
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