By Kim Severson
You might be surprised to know that the glamorous, Grammy-winning Sheryl Crow spends her time offstage chasing chickens and corralling horses. That's because the lady who made America love Santa Monica Boulevard is now happily settled on a 154-acre ranch outside of Nashville with her two sons, 4-year-old Wyatt and 1-year-old Levi. Life certainly didn't always look like this -- for 49-year-old Crow, it was a conscious choice to ditch the celebrity swirl of Los Angeles in 2007.
"I love LA," she says candidly. "I am so happy to see my friends there, but after four or five days, I'm like, Let's go home. Nashville feels more reality-based. I feel centered here. There's a connection between me and nature."
Crow needed that connection, after getting breast cancer in 2006 and undergoing a lumpectomy and radiation. But life has been on a steady, happy rhythm since then. Read on for highlights from Sheryl's interview in the May 2011 issue of Prevention, and get the full story on newsstands now!
On being a single mom:
I never thought I'd be raising a boy by myself. Now that I'm three and a half years in and I see Wyatt going into a little testosterone phase I'm like, Whoa! But he has great role models. He sees his two uncles and his granddad often and my farm manager on a daily basis.
Her best parenting advice:
I'm strict. I think one thing that is missing now with kids is that hierarchy of adults not being friends, even though ultimately that's what you want with your kids. They have to understand that somebody's in charge and sometimes the answer is no. It's about being consistent.
On putting herself first:
I think one of the reasons I got ill is that I ran my business and everything else in my life with the concept that everybody had to be happy, and everybody's needs came before mine. I really learned my lesson with this breast cancer diagnosis. Just the act of saying no is showing yourself respect.
What she learned from having cancer:
Anyone who's diagnosed with anything will agree that such news is not only a showstopper but also an opportunity to recreate the way you live and how you look at life. It was for me.
How she balances family and romance with her boyfriend of several months, a producer:
I've been in the situation where I've been involved with people and their kids, and if the relationship doesn't work out, it's heartbreak. So I'm keeping the relationship friend-based when we're around the kids. Luckily, we have a great foundation, having known each other for fifteen years.
On hanging with close pals Nicole Kidman, Faith Hill, and Kim Williams-Paisley:
We make a point to get together every couple of weeks. The other night we were at a Thai restaurant. My son goes to school with Kim's son, and they are best buddies. There's nothing sweeter than four-year-old boys holding hands.
Read the full Sheryl Crow exclusive interview here.
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