Actor turned singer Terrence Howard took the time to talk with online magazine Babble.com and among topics of his new album and his 2006 divorce,the single dad spoke about his three kids:
On his 2006 divorce and whether he wrote the song “No. 1 Fan” for his ex-wife:

I didn’t write the song for her, I wrote it for me, but it’s about her. I remember when I first played it for her. I still see her on a daily basis, still have dinner over there. I go hang out and watch TV with my kids, go there and hang out together with her. It’s really good now — we’ve found peace being a divorced family.

On being a single dad to Aubrey, fifteen; Hunter, thirteen; and Heavenly, eleven:

I don’t know, because I’ve only known life this way for the last eight years or so. I mean, separating from my kids had become everyday life for me, because of my work. I’ve got to go away a lot. So I’ve modified my schedule to be home with my children. And I’ve developed such a good relationship with my son (Hunter). My son truly is my best friend. When I’m away we talk on the phone — we play guitar together, we box together on the phone…I told him about being scared one time boxing and he said, “Sometimes I feel that way too.” I like giving him that little skill under his arm so he can walk a little tougher.

On monitoring the music his kids listen to:

Yes. I try to keep them from most hip-hop, because you know what? It’s harder to get an idea out of your head than it is to keep it from going in there in the first place. Some music can be corrupting — if it’s not building you up it’s tearing you down. My children’s brains are forming, I would like to protect them from explicit references. Later they can fill their souls up with junk food if they want. But junk food is something I’m determined not to allow. For now. “Where else would I live? Hollywood? I don’t think those people even like me.”

On what kinds of stories he tells his kids:

I tell them my life stories. I’ve always enjoyed taking a story and putting it in a way that’s not only informative but tasty. You know, you use metaphor and simile to carry them places. But you know that book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go? The title makes it seem like it’s for a child, but the information in that book is about an adult’s life. Sometimes I take a cue off that book, and sometimes I take cues off the Bible when I’m telling stories. I like stories with truth in them.

On living in the Suburbs of Hollywood:

Where else would I live? Hollywood? I don’t think those people even like me. Why would I want to be around that? I’m where I am because that’s where my kids are. Things didn’t work out with my wife so I had no choice but to be home, near them. I spend most of my time within a five-minute radius of home.

On what music he and his kids listen to:

Paul Simon is still inside my car CD player. I haven’t changed what I’m listening to because I still haven’t heard much in music to lead me in a different direction. Music is still saturated with electronic sounds. It’s not true style, not something that can inspire me. My son loves Jim Croce, Cat Stevens. One of his favorite songs is (Stevens’) “Father and Son.”

On whether his kids are resilient people:

They are. But I think of how much further I might have come if that[watching his father stab another man who made racist comments] hadn’t occurred. I’ve been defensive; I’ve chased people away. My kids were born with natural resilience, and I think they’ll be able to spring much further than me, because they haven’t been pushed down.

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