Nara Smith has defended her decision to have four children before the age of 24, saying she and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, had always wanted to start a family young.
The influencer, now 25, and Smith are parents to daughters Rumble Honey, six, Whimsy Lou, two, and Fawnie Golden, one, as well as son Slim Easy, four.
Speaking on the Aspire podcast, Smith said she was 19 when she had her first child and 23 when her youngest was born.
“I was 19 when I had my first and I had my last a year ago,” she said. “So, I was 23. Just turned 23.”
Smith said she had been influenced by a conversation with her father, who told her he wished he had had children earlier because he would have had more energy.
“I wanted kids younger. I didn’t know how young, right? But I knew I didn’t want to be an old mom,” she said. “My dad said he had us at 45. He said, ‘I wish I would have had you earlier because [of] my energy.’”
She said she and Lucky Blue Smith had been on the same page about having children early when they met, adding that parenthood had not prevented her from pursuing her career.
“I don’t think kids hold you back. You just have to plan more and schedule more and outsource help if you need to,” she said. “At the end of the day, to me, it doesn’t make a major difference in my career or what I’m doing.”
Smith acknowledged that the financial responsibility was something she had not fully understood when she was younger, but said she was grateful to be able to work and provide for her family.
“Is it a financial situation? Yes. Obviously that was something I was a little too young to grasp,” she said. “But now that I’m a little older, I’m realizing it and I’m very grateful to be able to work as much as I do and provide for them.”
The couple had initially discussed having six children, Smith said. After welcoming two, however, she agreed to have a third because she liked the idea of having three siblings in the family.
Their fourth child was unexpected. “She was not supposed to be here, but now she’s the most precious thing and I couldn’t imagine my life without her,” Smith said.
She added: “It was the best decision.”
