BEAUTY & STYLE
JO
SE
PH
LL
AN
ES
JULY 2019 / SOUTHERNLIVING.COM
38
MOM TO MOM
This One’s for the Girls
Martina McBride talks music, summer memories, and being a mom of three daughters
INTERVIEW BY JENNA BUSH HAGER
Jenna: You’re a
musician and author
and also run the Music
Is Love charity. Any
tricks for prioritizing?
Martina: No tricks! I’m
always multitasking, but
I’m pretty good at focus-
ing on what needs to get
done first. Sometimes I
think I’m doing so well,
and other days it’s like—
what is happening?
Jenna: How do you
keep your three
daughters [Delaney,
24, Emma, 21, and
Ava, 14] grounded?
Martina: My husband,
John, and I grew up in
Kansas with normal
childhoods. We sat
down to family dinner
every night. While our
girls’ lives looked
different, the values
were the same, and
their everyday routines
were fairly normal.
They didn’t get every-
thing they wanted; they worked for
it. The older girls had jobs at 16 and
paid for half of their first cars with
the money they had saved up. They
didn’t take anything for granted.
Jenna: When you think back to when
you were growing up in Kansas and
feeling the happiest, where were you?
Who were you with?
Martina: We lived out in the country,
about 10 miles from any town. In the
summer, my brother and I would hop
on our bikes (usually barefoot!) and
ride to our grandparents’ house, which
was a mile down the road. We had the
freedom to be outside
and play. I miss that
for my kids.
Jenna: Is your parent-
ing style similar to
your mother’s?
Martina: My mom
is no-nonsense. She
tells it like it is. My kids
know that I’ll always
be straight with them.
If they ask for advice,
I won’t sugarcoat many
things. My mother
supported my dream
of being a singer, which
was amazing coming
from a small town. I do
the same for my girls.
Jenna: Where did you
get your passion for
entertaining?
Martina: My mom and
grandmother cooked,
but it wasn’t fancy. My
mother-in-law was a
great entertainer, and
when we got married
and visited her in
Wichita, I watched her host. She
had supper clubs and bridge club.
She would always set out appetizers
and serve sweet tea. I think I really
saw that for the first time with her.
It was a whole new world to me. It
made me feel good and ignited a
natural spark inside.
Second Act The 14-time Grammy Award nominee also
has two cookbooks and a Food Network show.
