Maren Morris Gets Some Parenting Advice From Willie Nelson

Maren Morris‘ son, Hayes, is almost 17 months old, and he’ll be joining his mom on the road when she eventually resumes touring. Morris served as guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, and she got some advice from a fellow country artist who knows a thing or two about taking their kids on the road when she chatted with guest Willie Nelson.

“So I actually had a baby recently, or in the last year or so, and I know that you’ve brought your children out on the road for years as you’ve toured. Do you have any advice for bringing a baby on a tour bus and what that might look like?” Morris asked. “Well, you know, all my career I’ve had kids on the bus,” Nelson told her. “They grew up to be pickers themselves and most of them have wound up out on the stage with me, singing with me every night. So, it’s just really been a big joy to have your kids with you, especially when you’re gone as much as I am gone.”

Nelson is dad to eight kids — Lana, Susie, Billy, Paula, Amy, Lukas, Micah and Renee. Several are musically inclined like their dad, including Lukas, who fronts his own band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Micah, who often plays with his father and brother.

“I love so much that you’ve incorporated and just collaborated with them over the years and Lukas has always been so lovely to me when we’re out on the same festivals together,” Morris told Nelson. “So, you’ve raised them right, so I’ll just take it from you, however you’ve brought those boys up.”

Earlier this year, Morris’ husband Ryan Hurd shared on The Ride with Kimo and Heather on KFRG-FM that their son is “super fun” and that Hayes was “about to” start walking. “He gets around pretty quickly though for not being a walker yet,” Morris said. “He’s fast. We can’t look away because he is just across the room in a second now.” Hayes is also working on talking, with his dad calling him “a babbler.” “He says (mama and dada) but I don’t think he assigns it to mean us,” Morris added. “I think he just likes the words. He’ll look at me and be like, ‘da da da da da da,’ like the opposite. So, I think he’s figuring out who is who.”