By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
November 8, 2002
Phoning from Canada, Wynonna Judd has her hands full. Sure, there are the back-to-back concerts she has to perform. But she’s also getting her
children’s lesson plans ready for the day.
“I teach,” says Judd, 38. “I homeschool. When I’m in the studio recording, I have a nanny/tutor to teach my kids.”
Elijah, 7, and his sister, Grace, 6, are good students, she says proudly.
“Like any mother, I want them to study hard, but I also want them to grow emotionally and spiritually. It’s my job to teach them how to be in the
world, and it’s hard to learn that in class. The teachers have so much to do and so many kids needing their attention. They’re amazing at what they do.”
Her own role model is her mother and former singing partner, Naomi, who was half of the phenomenally popular Judds.
“A lot of entertainers get so bogged down with that fame stuff that we think we’re special. That’s why touring on a bus for 10 years with my mother was the best thing to ever happen to me. She brought me down a notch.”
When Naomi was diagnosed in 1990 with a potentially life-threatening liver disease brought on by Hepatitis C, Wynonna wondered whether she would be able to make it as a solo artist. The fact she has sold millions of records on her own answered that doubt.
And unlike some celebrities who complain about fan adoration, Wynonna embraces it.
“Even when I’m going through an airport, I carry my 8-by-10 glossy photos and have a pen ready in case a fan wants a signed picture. I can take a few minutes to talk to someone who enjoys my work. It’s my pleasure.”
Secrets for keeping that voice intact: I don’t smoke, drink or chew [tobacco], or go with boys who do. I put my butt on the bus and rest.
Best ways to relax on the road: I listen to my books on tape, light my candles and take time for myself.
Mind, body and soul: When the mind and body are connected to the soul, there’s joy. When I’m stressed, I get run-down easily. Success doesn’t have to do with record sales or awards. It has to do with spirituality and the good place I’m at where I feel truly grateful for everything and everyone in my life.
On the body image double standard for men and women: I said this on Oprah’s show once: When’s the last time someone went up to Garth Brooks or Alan Jackson and said, “What size are you?” … As long as I don’t look in the mirror and start doubting myself, I’m OK. I just focus on going forward and try not to look left or right. And when I do that, no one can kick butt more than I can.
Mother knows best: [Laughs] I’m happy to become my mother, because she was the best mother a kid could ask for. I find myself doing things that she does, like putting all my bottles so that the labels face front now. It’s a mother thing.
The day I turned into my mother: I said to my kids, “Just do it because I said so.” I had promised myself I would never say that, but sometimes you have to!
Biggest influence: My mother’s right up there. The other day, she said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Words to live by: God’s word is simple and constant. The world changes, but His word doesn’t. That’s comforting, just like the love I have for my kids. I tap into that every day.
Who I am: I’m a girl with a voice and when it shines, my life shines. Otherwise, I’m just a regular girl from Kentucky.
