Thomas Rhett doesn’t think of his daughter as "adopted" any more.
The 28-year-old musician and his wife Lauren – who have Ada James, 12 months, together – adopted two-year-old Willa Gray from Masindi, Uganda, in May last year, and the star now says it feels like the tot has "always" been a part of their family.
He said: "The word ‘adopted’ doesn’t even make sense in my head anymore really. I know that it happened and I remember it very vividly, but it kind of feels like she has just always been here. Even though Willa Gray comes from [a] whole different part of the world, she’s ours and it feels like she never wasn’t."
Willa Gray and her sister often accompany their dad when he goes on tour, and the ‘Life Changes’ hitmaker admits that it’s a dream come true for him.
He added: "Probably as early as high school, I thought if I had kids and I got to tour one day that I’d want my kids to be a full part of that touring life. [Willa and Ada] are two peas in a pod getting into all kinds of trouble together."
And when they’re not on the road, Thomas and his family try to make sure they "experience a normal life" and embrace the outdoors.
The ‘Marry Me’ singer said: "When I’m home, I want them to experience a normal life, disregarding what I do for a living or what Lauren does for a living. Willa Gray and Ada are outside children. There really is something special when you connect your kids with nature. It teaches them a sense of just how big the world is and how beautiful the world is."
Overall, Thomas just wants both his daughters to be "super proud" of who they are.
Speaking to People magazine, he said: "I hope God has given me all the right tools to raise Willa Gray to know that no matter where she comes from, she is our child, and that we want her to express her diversity. She’s from Tennessee and she’s from Uganda and I want her to be proud of that.
"I hope that we can raise both of our children to be super proud of who they are and where they come from – and that they know me and Lauren love them beyond anything else that exists in this world. I hope we can just raise good, kind kids."
Thomas Rhett doesn’t see his daughter as ‘adopted’
