Brad Paisley’s Boys Prefer Farm Over Fame

Brad Paisley realizes he and wife Kimberly Williams Paisley are fortunate parents. The two live in a rural area outside Nashville and are able to keep their sons, Huck and Jasper, out of the limelight and in a relatively safe environment.

"You know, I'm lucky because I have a secluded life, aside from the touring and stuff," Brad tells The Boot. "My kids don't go on the road very often; we spend most of our time here in Nashville on a farm. Huck and Jasper are very typical. Right now they're excited about the heavy equipment that's digging out an area of our farm. They love to go down and see the excavator and the bulldozer and watch all the different things that are going on at the site."

While Brad and Kim keep their children on the farm, they also tend to shield them from things that might conflict with the values they as parents would like to instill in them. "We're kind of in a bubble, and within that bubble we've built we're able to do what we do in terms of how we raise them," the singer explains. "They don't know anyone has seen them in a magazine, even though we just did a shoot for PEOPLE. I know you have to do a little bit of that but it's an area of discussion. Do you let people see your kids, or do you keep them totally isolated?"

Ultimately, the couple decided it's OK to do a little bit, as long as it's on their own terms. "When we keep them away from the outside influences, it means that little bubble is filling them with my personal values, the things that are important to me," Brad continues. "I know that it is a challenge, and I don't know how people do it that don't have the ability to shelter their kids like we do. We have friends who live in Los Angeles, and it's just amazing to me to think of them driving to a softball game in the middle of the afternoon, or to think about the things they see on the street on the way home."

As the boys grow older, it's becoming increasingly evident that Huck and Jasper have different personalities, but Brad says he wouldn't have it any other way. "Huck is two-and-a-half, and acts like he's five," Brad explains. "Jasper is only five months, but already I can see that their personalities are polar opposites, based on the first couple months of what Huck was like and what Jasper is like. It's night and day! I prefer it that way. I think two little carbon copies would not be fun. So far, one is like me and the other seems to not be like me at all."

Brad's also keeping children in mind with regard to his music these days. He says he wanted his 'Welcome to the Future' video specifically to be about the dreams of kids. The clip features children from all over the world telling the camera what they want to be when they grow up.

"Kids' lives are all about now, but they also look ahead," Brad says. "It's a tough world but it's up to the parents to teach those personal values to their kids. These kids in the video, they're gung-ho to be whatever they can be, they are so ready. Don't tell them they can't be their dream. They're ready to achieve whatever it is they think they can do."

'Welcome to the Future' is included on Brad's CMA-nominated album, 'American Saturday Night.'