When Jana Kramer‘s 8-year-old daughter admitted her self-conscious feelings about not enjoying Taylor Swift‘s music like her friends do, the mom of three gave a commendable response.
On Monday’s episode of her podcast Whine Down with Jana Kramer, the One Tree Hill actress revealed that her daughter Jolie recently asked her if it was wrong to dislike the beloved musician. “She was at a birthday party, and she’s like, ‘Mom, is it okay that I don’t like Taylor Swift?'” Kramer recalled. She added, “I was like, ‘This is so crazy because we’ve never had this conversation.'”
Kramer, an established singer herself with hits like “Why You Gotta” and “I Got the Boy,” continued to assure Jolie that there’s nothing wrong with disliking Swift’s music. “I go, ‘Honey, 1000%, you can like whoever you want.’ I was like, ‘It’s just because she’s super famous, you know, and everyone loves her does not mean that you have to love her too,'” Kramer said.
The mom of three shared that she also gave her daughter a similar example of her own musical preferences going against the grain. Kramer said, “Just [like] the Beatles. It’s like, you don’t have to like that. And sometimes, I didn’t like the Beatles because everyone loved the Beatles. So I’ve always kinda gone opposite.”
The country singer added to her respectful response by saying she “didn’t love [Swift’s] new album,” but she thinks “The Tortured Poets Department” singer is “an insane entertainer.” Though she shares her daughter’s opinion of Swift’s discography, Kramer said, “I still respect her as an artist.”
We love the way Kramer addressed Jolie’s worries for a few reasons. First, the entertainment multi-hyphenate reassured the little girl that she can of course like and dislike whatever she wants. But perhaps more importantly, Kramer’s response was still respectful toward Swift.
The layered answer taught Jolie that her personal preferences are valid without unnecessarily criticizing Swift’s songs or disregarding her accomplishments as a musician. Kramer set a fantastic example for Jolie by showing her a dislike of someone’s art doesn’t give the right to tear them down as a person — and that’s top-tier parenting if we’ve ever seen it.
These celebrities are focused on raising their kids to be good humans.
