Chris Cagle Reflects on Fatherhood
Chris Cagle has a house full of girls surrounding him these days between his wife Kay and three young daughters, so he's sure to get plenty of attention around his ranch this Father's Day. And though he's outnumbered as the only man in the house, the country singer is definitely enjoying being a dad to Chloe, Stella and Piper. An avid horseman who trains quarter horses on his Oklahoma ranch, the Big Horse Ranch, Chris is the first to admit that training horses is a bit different than raising children, and that fatherhood presents its own set of rewarding challenges.
"My stepdaughter Chloe is eight now, Stella is two, and Piper is just a year old," Chris tells The Boot. "So except for me and my dog, everyone else in the house is female! Well, and Playboy, my horse. Being a father it's funny though ... actually it's tough. It doesn't come with any instructions. And I'm the guy who can put anything together with instructions. Fatherhood, you have to have a lot of grace and a lot of patience for the learning process."
Chris is finding one of the toughest parts of being a parent these days is watching his kids go through their own challenges and growing pains and knowing just when to step in and when to step back. He explains that when one of his daughters acts shy, he's tempted to coach her to be more social. But then he realizes that's something she has to do on her own.
"My gift to her is allowing her to find her way, and being there to really just guide her," he says.
The "Got My Country On" star has big hopes and dreams for his kids just like all dads, but says at the end of the day, he hopes his legacy will be leaving three strong, capable young women who can thrive on their own out in the world, with or without a man.
"I know they're gonna make some mistakes and some choices that are bad, but I truly hope that when I'm done and my children leave, that I produce young ladies that do not have to be married to anybody to feel like they're taken care of. They can take care of themselves, and if a man doesn't treat them like a gentleman they can tell him, 'Thank you, but no thank you' and move on. That's the biggest gift I can give them. It's so funny, because my father used to tell me all the time, 'Son, I really don't want anything for Father's Day.' And I never understood that, but now I do. Just a hug, means more than anything."