Nick Carter Shares His Hopes for His 3 Kids: 'I Want Them To Be Better Than Me'

Growing up in the spotlight has certainly shaped how Nick Carter, 42, feels about the future of his three kids, Odin, Saoirse, and Pearl.

"School is more important than anything, because I started basically touring the world at 13, 14, really, really young," explains the Backstreet Boy singer. "I'm grateful for how it turned out, but we were talking about, 'I think you're going to go through the school choir. You're going to go through the school programs first. And then once you turn 18, if you want to do what you want to do, you can,' those types of things."

School also offers kids structure and foundation, says Carter. And it allows them to just be kids first and foremost—"and really enjoy that part of their lives."

He's excited to see his kids grow up and he wants to be able to take them to karate, T-ball, and to let him be the provider for them. "It's maybe a little old-fashioned or whatever, but I'm the dad," says Carter. "I'm the provider and my wife and I together are there to give them, to allow them to have their childhood, and to not necessarily have to work for us."

Although the world knows him as a pop star, Carter couldn't be a more doting dad. Having welcomed his third child with wife, Lauren Kitt, last year, he says that the secret to raising three little ones is "about the delegation of time."

"You have three different personalities, three different needs, three different human beings that want affection and attention," says Carter. "At one hand, you got a 10-month-old over there crying, then you have your daughter on the other hand wanting your attention, then your son, happening all at the same time. You're learning on the job, you're figuring it all out and experiencing."

But at the end of the day, he loves what he calls the challenge and is always ready to split the parenting load. "Thankfully, I have my wife who's able to help right now," notes Carter. "Odin's 5 years old, and he's all about Mommy right now. Everything is 'Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.' I'm like, 'That's good. You go to your Mommy. So I'll take care of the two girls.'"

Although life is very much about family for Carter these days, he admits that "you don't know if you want to be a dad until you are a dad necessarily."

While family and friends would say he was meant to be a dad, he sees himself as someone who "just wants to give and care for people—everyone and anybody who's ever come into my life." Still, now, that he has "three little munchkins," he is committed to never letting them down. "I will always be there through thick and thin, and they're everything to me."

He elaborates, "For me, knowing that you have these three individuals and human beings who have a clean slate and a fresh start is a responsibility that I embrace. I love knowing that you can give them unconditional love. You can give them the opportunity to have a peaceful and healthy household. These are all things that are in me and that I want to do."

When it comes to the singer and dancer's hopes and wishes for his munchkins? "I remember having this conversation with one of the staff people at one of the schools that I'm taking my children to, and they asked, 'What do you want?'" notes Carter. "I said, 'I want them to be better than me.' And that's my only dream."

Check out We Are Family Season 2, Episode 23 now for more with Nick Carter on raising his little ones, the origin of their names, and experiencing pregnancy loss alongside his wife.

Listen to We Are Family on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google, and everywhere podcasts are available.

Listen to Season 2, Episode 23 right now: