Country singer Ryan Hurd reflects on becoming a father during the COVID-19 pandemic
Ryan Hurd welcomed his son, Hayes, with with his wife — and fellow country singer — Maren Morris on March 23, just days after the country was plunged into a shutdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In this essay for "Good Morning America," the "Every Other Memory" singer reflects on the ups and downs of 2020, how he and Morris are adapting to parenthood and why he'll always appreciate this downtime with Hayes.
Becoming a father in a year of so much uncertainty has certainly given me a lot to reflect on.
This is the first child for each of us and, though it’s only been about eight months, it's so hard to remember the days when it was just the two of us.
At the beginning, everything felt overwhelming and intimidating. I hadn’t been around a lot of babies before — much less held them — until Hayes came around. There was a slight transition period once he was born that I know a lot of fathers experience, but then a switch flipped, and I have loved growing into fatherhood.
It’s a bit bittersweet to say, especially knowing this has been the hardest year of so many people’s lives, but something I will always cherish is the uninterrupted time I’ve spent with Hayes. There is not a day of his life that I haven’t been by his side. As a touring musician, and really for any occupation, that’s just not normal.
Now, with the holidays here, I’m more thankful than ever to be near my immediate family to share this time with them. It’s odd to wish for a moment of your life to speed up when the time we have is already so limited, but as we inch closer and closer to what looks like a hopeful future, I can’t help but be ready for this to all be in the past.
It’s been a blessing, as a husband, to watch Maren grow into being a mother and continue to thrive and have so much success without being able to tour. A few weeks ago, I was able to take Hayes to watch Maren perform at the Ryman Auditorium, and it was such a special moment to be able to share that as a family. He doesn’t know it yet, but moments like that don’t come along very often — if ever.
Growing into our roles as parents has been the greatest joy of 2020. It’s been such a seamless transition, and Hayes' arrival has filled our lives with the purest form of happiness. The beginning of the year felt very career-driven and there were so many bright spots in our professional lives, and all the while, Maren and I were preparing for this massive addition to our personal lives.
With the pandemic, though, I feel like I’ve re-learned how to write and do my job. Essentially, I’ve had to learn how to be an artist through my phone. Even with all the shifts and difficulties, I find a lot of inspiration in it. I’m learning how to be a brand-new version of a creative, and I’m really thankful for that.
Even with all the twists and turns through 2020, this year has allowed me to progress as an artist, and it has given me the chance to evolve into my role as a dad. I truly could not be more thankful to our son for making a year full of hardships into one of the most memorable and rewarding of my life.
