26 Country Songs Inspired by an Artist’s Child

Country music is all about the most important parts of life — love, faith, heartbreak and hard work — so it's no surprise that parenthood is a common source of inspiration for country songs.

Many artists have written about the experience of parenthood and watching a child grow up in an abstract sense, but the artists on this list have songs that were specifically inspired by their own children — or songs inspired by the songwriters' children, that resonated with the recording artist's own experience of parenthood.

That's why songs like Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up" aren't included on this list: Though it's a classic and beautiful country song about childhood, it's not inspired by the artist's real-life story of raising a child. Likewise, many parents take comfort in Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" as their children are getting ready to grow up and leave the nest — but that song wasn't originally written about the experience of parenthood, so you won't find it here.

The backstories behind some of these songs may surprise you. For example, did you know that Rodney Atkins' classic "Watching You" might never have been written if the singer's young son didn't get in trouble at daycare for singing the lyrics to another Atkins hit?

Luke Combs wrote not one, but two songs that appear here. There's a song he recorded himself, and another he wrote and gave to another big star — scroll down to see why he couldn't record it himself!

Whether you're a parent to a boy or a girl, an only child or a whole mess of kids, this batch of songs contains the perfect track for every kind of parent out there. There are songs about being in the thick of the little kid years, and songs about looking back with nostalgia once the kids are grown. Some of these tunes are funny — and others are sure to have you reaching for the tissues.

Keep reading to see the 26 best country songs inspired by an artist's child or children.