Parker McCollum Is Kind of a Helicopter Parent

Parker McCollum‘s baby boy, Major, is his first with wife Hallie Ray, and the singer is diligent about making sure his son stays on track with growth milestones.

“I called the pediatrician and was like, ‘Hey, it’s been two-and-a-half months, he’s not walking, he’s not talking,'” McCollum jokes to Taste of Country. “’There is something wrong with him.'”

“She said it’s quite awhile before he does that stuff.”

That’s a 180 since we last talked to him, ahead of the ACM Awards last May. At the time, it didn’t sound like fatherhood had hit McCollum quite yet. Major Yancey McCollum arrived in August.

“I think Hallie is kinda like, ‘Are you sure you are aware we are having a kid?’” he recalled with a smirk. “For the husband, nothing changes until he’s here.”

But the country star’s day-to-day has really changed now that there’s a baby in their lives.

“I am a professional traveler, I can leave for ten days and take a backpack,” McCollum says. “I love traveling like that … those days are gone.”

He needs a lot more than a backpack to accommodate Major’s needs.

“We got a travel crib, travel humidifiers,” he says. “We’ve got a diaper bag, we’ve got clothes bags. I’m like, give him a pair of overalls and a pull-up bar, he’s going to be good until he’s about four.”

Although traveling might look a lot different, McCollum wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

“Everyone was right,” he admits, smiling big now. “It’s the greatest thing ever, and it’s only going to get better.”

Musically, Parker McCollum is soaking up family time before heading out on his What Kinda Man Tour later this month.