By India McCarty
Country singer Walker Hayes says his children have had a “front-row seat” to every phase of his life, from his struggles with alcohol to his success as an artist — and hopes it teaches them not to be scared of failing.
“They’ve had the front-row seat of, you know, Costco dad. Alcoholic dad. ‘What are you going to do with your life?’ dad over COVID. Lose a kid dad, and then ‘Fancy Like,’” he said during an interview with SiriusXM’s THE HIGHWAY.
Hayes has been open about his struggles. He turned to alcohol when his career as a country singer stalled out, causing him to have to take a job at Costco to support his family.
“I mean, it had, it had come to an embarrassing point, but I had a handle of vodka in my Honda Accord at all times. And it went in every beverage,” he told CBS News.
Related: Country Star Walker Hayes Reflects on Grief, Parenting and Songwriting
One day, Hayes said he woke up and “it just felt like if I start again today and do this, I might die.” From there, he began pursuing sobriety, but in 2018, when he and wife Laney lost their seventh child, Oakleigh, in a stillbirth, he went to a bar.
“Got down there and my wallet wasn’t in my door,” he said. “So I drove back home. First thing I see when I walk back into my house is Laney in the dark living room, just sitting in the dark, staring into the wall, by herself. And my grief and anger immediately turned to shame. My favorite person on Earth is all by herself.”
From there, his priorities changed from wanting “power” and “success” to “cling[ing] to the things that matter, and one thing that really matters to me is my kids.”
Now, he’s committed to sharing the benefits of sobriety with his fans, telling TODAY, “I think most recovering alcoholics feel the same way, you know. Sobriety is so amazing that you’d love to pass it along. It’s a great option that we have in life and there is freedom from addiction.”
Hayes told THE HIGHWAY that he hopes seeing all this has made his children unafraid of making their own mistakes.
“I hope they aren’t afraid of failure, and I think they see me love Laney. They do the ‘Ew, gross’ thing. I think they know I need the Lord,” he shared. “They’re backstage every night. They’re on stage many nights dancing, and so I think they have a really interesting perspective on what the world actually has to offer and what really matters.”
What a powerful reminder that our children will learn from our example.
Read Next: Country Singer Walker Hayes Got Sober in an ‘Industry That Can Often Condone’ Alcohol
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