Reba McEntire has a reputation for being practical. While she wasn’t in school or playing with the band she founded with her brothers, she spent her days working with the cattle on the family ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, where she grew up.
“Mama and Daddy always said to me, ‘If you tell somebody you’re going to be somewhere at a certain time, you show up,” she told People. “That’s the way I was raised.”
She certainly had an excellent understanding of how children should be handled in order to help them develop self-confident, but also modest and respectful, having graduated from basic education herself.
She therefore understood that even though she was already famous when she gave birth to her son Shelby in 1990, she needed to be cautious in how she raised him to prevent him from developing snobbery due to his famous mother.
“When we would play games or cards, I’d never let Shelby win,” she said. “He wouldn’t have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, ‘I’ll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don’t be a little jerk. Don’t be a spoiled brat.’”
She and her ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, did in fact make sure to instill these fundamental principles in their son.
They encouraged their kid to appreciate others regardless of their background while also emphasizing that despite being fortunate to grow up in an affluent home, he was no better than his classmates.
McEntire has always been proud of her son and how he turned out to be.
“A lot of people have told me you would never know (he) had been blessed with the life he was given,” she said.
The country star said that although she was more self-centered before having her kid, her priorities entirely altered after she became a mother.
She made sure to invest as much time as she could in activities they could do together since she was eager to spend time with Shelby.
“I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me,” she said. “When I couldn’t, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school and pick him up. We’d play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night. I wanted to be with Shelby. Still do.”
Also, McEntire disclosed Shelby’s ADHD. She added that he could hardly read a book as a young child, but in his early 30s, he can read up to ten books annually. Indeed, she is a proud mother.
The superstar is also happy that her beloved son has found true love in his wife Marissa, whom he married in a fairytale-inspired wedding at Walt Disney World.
What a beautiful family!
No doubt Shelby and Marissa will pass on the same values to their own children in the future.