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Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren, are proud parents to three adorable little girls: Willa Gray, Ada James and Lennon Love. While Ada and Lennon are the couple’s biological children, Willa was adopted, and traveled to the U.S. from her native country of Uganda. 

As the only Black child in a white family, Thomas says he and Lauren are making sure that their children have “open conversations” about the similarities and differences between them. 

“It’s something we talk about really openly,” the singer explains to ET Online. “I think me and Lauren’s main thing we want to get across is how proud we are and that we want her to grow up proud of herself and her family.”

As the parent of a Black child, Thomas says that watching the current news cycle of police brutality, protests and racial injustice is especially heart-wrenching. 

“We just try to preach to our kids to shine your light everywhere you go and realize that the world is cruel, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be,” he reflects. “We’re still dealing with it just like everybody else and we’re still trying to ask the right questions and educate ourselves as well.”

Willa knows that her family “looks a lot different” than other families, Thomas goes on to say, but he hopes she’ll continue to embrace those differences, and her Ugandan heritage, as she grows up. 

“[We want to teach her] to embrace who you are and to embrace your uniqueness and embrace your culture as well,” he says. “That’s something we want to educate her on as long as she’s still in our household and even beyond that.”

By Carena Liptak
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