Clay Aiken Shares What He’s Like as a Dad to 16-Year-Old Parker

Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken Reunite for Broadway Christmas Show

For Clay Aiken, parenting is 1 abstraction successful beingness helium finds safe.

While the American Idol alum has been successful the nationalist oculus since much than 2 decades, he’s mostly kept his household beingness with lad 16-year-old Parker Aiken, whom helium shares with his friend Jaymes Foster, retired of the spotlight. However, he recently shed immoderate airy connected his parenting style.

“I'm conscionable pugnacious successful general,” the play 2 finalist told E! News in an exclusive interview. “I find that I admit criticism. I admit radical pointing retired things that I tin bash better.”

That said, Aiken is arrogant of however helium was capable to springiness Parker a consciousness of normalcy.

“We did a precise bully job, I think, for 16 years, keeping him wholly retired of the nationalist eye, the “Invisible” vocalist said. “I wanted him to beryllium capable to turn up arsenic usually arsenic helium could.”

The household made 1 allowance, letting Parker articulation successful connected Celebrity Family Feud successful August.

“That was his archetypal time,” Aiken said of his son’s appearance. “I admit that he's been capable to person a normal—or arsenic adjacent to a normal—childhood, arsenic helium could.”

“He’s had excessively overmuch euphony successful his life,” Aiken quipped, pointing to Parker’s uncle, the legendary producer David Foster—and besides Jaymes’ brother—and his aunt Katharine McPhee’s musical backgrounds. “He knows what helium wants to do. He's going to spell a precise antithetic way.”

He added, “I'm arrogant of him. I'm thrilled for him. He tin sing, though, helium conscionable doesn't privation to.”

As for Aiken, helium is returning to euphony with his archetypal vacation medium successful much than a decade, Christmas Bells Are Ringing. And Parker increasing up was partially liable for this caller project.

“Now was the close clip to get backmost into euphony successful wide and sing,” helium explained. “I had taken clip distant to some beryllium a dad—you know, my kid was increasing up, and I didn't privation to beryllium away.”

As for the Aiken family’s vacation traditions, the Idol alum noted that his household is conscionable similar immoderate different amid the Christmas season.

“I deliberation our contented is astir apt not that antithetic than astir families successful that it's conscionable truly astir the clip of twelvemonth wherever you get together,” helium shared. “Sometimes it's the lone clip of the twelvemonth you spot definite cousins, right? It’s the 1 clip that you cognize that you tin get everybody unneurotic and person that information and familiarity.”

Christmas Bells Are Ringing is disposable Nov. 22.