12 Not-So-Strict Rules Travis Barker Has For His Three Kids
His parenting style is definitely unique.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com As pregnant Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker prepare for the new addition to their family, fans are excited to see these two take on parenting together. During an interview with Access Holywood, Kardashian sat down with the rest of her family and talked about how many more kids she wanted, saying "I would love two, in a dream world."
Travis Barker is already a father to his son Landon and daughter Alabama who he shares with ex-wife Shanna Moakler. He has also played a strong role in raising Moakler's daughter Atiana, from her relationship with Oscar De La Hoya.
But how good of a father is the Blink-182 drummer to his three kids?
Here are 12 rules that Travis Barker has for raising his three kids.
1. The family spends time together, no matter what.
In 2018, Barker was recovering from a bad car crash he was involved in where a school bus drove into him. Having already survived a plane crash and suffering from survivor’s guilt for years, he was uninjured but completely dazed for a while. Despite that, he took two of his kids, Landon and Alabama, to Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights. A car crash won’t stop him from being a great father to his children.
2. Travis Barker encourages his kids to be musical.
Since Barker is universally known for his legendary drumming skills, it’s no surprise that his kids might be interested in a similar career or passion. In the fall of 2017, Alabama decided to release a music video for her song “Our House,” which was actually filmed at her father’s house.
“We shot three scenes six months ago and then we shot three more scenes [recently],” she said during an online interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I actually co-wrote [the song] with Rachel West, my dad, and John Feldmann."
She only had praise to give to her musician father, saying “He helped me learn about music a lot. Just watching him on tours always made me more confident and happy."
3. Travis Barker stays fit so he can be a good example for his kids.
Barker has had to overcome many challenges throughout his life as a rock star. The plane crash he survived almost left him without his right foot and doctors told him he may never be able to drum again.
“Once I taught myself to walk again in the hospital, the first thing I wanted to do was play drums and run,” he told People Magazine.
Ever since the crash, Barker dropped his drug addictions and decided to get in shape and be a role model for the children he would soon father. It’s really only a coincidence that running helps his parenting skills so much, but it’s become a reason to do it too.
“I just love running. It makes me feel like I can conquer anything that comes at me,” said Barker. “I’m never tapped out. I’m never tired around my two kids. I owe a lot of that to running.”
4. Travis Barker tries his best to co-parent well with Shanna Moakler.
Barker and his ex, Moakler, separated in 2006 but made sure that they kept their children’s needs a priority. Even though the couple had a bit of a messy split, it doesn’t matter when it comes down to the kids’ happiness.
"The kids' best interest is what we all have in mind – there's nothing else,” he said, according to TooFab. “Our relationship was so long ago. We're just being friends. Doing the best co-parenting is the most important thing."
5. He makes sure he’s always around his children.
In the same interview where he discusses being a co-parent alongside Moakler, he also mentions that it’s important to him to stay close to his family, geographically speaking.
"I bought a home that's very close to my children's school, so when she's with the kids, she's there; when I'm with the kids, I'm there,” he said. “There's no making them travel back and forth to different houses."
In fact, despite being married, Kourtney and Barker have yet to officially move in together in order to make sure their kids are comfortable.
"There will be [a joint house.] We want our kids to also feel really comfortable and they have both lived in their homes their whole lives, for the most part, and they each have their rooms," Kourtney said during a 2022 podcast appearance.
6. Barker's kids live in a drug-free home.
It’s no surprise that surviving a plane crash might make you think twice about the way you go about your everyday life. Nothing would feel the same, and it’s a miracle that not only did he survive, but he also made it out of that mental hole he was in.
“I was already a great father,” he told Billboard in an interview. “I loved my kids, but after that, it was like I had a second chance at life and so much changed.”
These things helped mold him into a better father, learning to appreciate everything more.
“There was no more drug abuse,” he revealed. “I already spent a lot of time with my kids, but they were all I hung out with, especially afterwards.”
7. Travis Barker makes sure that Landon treats girls respectfully.
Barker himself has had a rough past with women, openly admitting in his memoir that his wife caught him cheating with many different women by looking through his laptop. However, his entire perspective on dating supposedly changed after he became a father.
“I taught my son from a young age to treat girls correctly. Then I had a daughter, and I treat girls how I’d want my daughter to be treated. So much has changed,” he told Complex in an interview.
Hopefully, this is true and he treats Kourtney with the same respect he wants his daughter to be treated with.
8. The Barker children are allowed to wear whatever clothes they want.
News flash: his children don’t only wear skinny jeans, a graphic tee, and a beanie on their heads. A quick look at any of his kids’ Instagrams — Atiana, Landon, or Alabama — will show you that they have all opted for their own unique styles. Barker isn’t the type of father who tells his kids what they should or shouldn’t wear, they’re simply allowed to express themselves however they please.
9. Barker's kids don't have nannies.
Barker’s mother passed away when he was 16 years old, and that kind of memory has a lasting effect on a person despite them being well into their teenage years. Her death inspires him to make sure that he’s proactive in raising his kids — making sure that he’s there for them and cares for them.
In an interview with People Magazine, he said “I want a certain thing for my children. I just want to be in their life. I don't want nannies raising my kids.”
Despite his lavish and likely busy lifestyle, he still wants to be there for his kids and see them grow into adults.
10. Travis Barker takes his kids to almost every celebrity red carpet event.
Most recently, all three of his kids appeared at the Kardashian Hulu show premiere, but Barker has taken his kids to all the red carpet events. Musical events, awards shows like the Grammys, and anywhere he can show off his kids to the mainstream media are good enough for him. Barker and his family always look so stylish and fun, so it’s a pleasure always having them around anyway!
11. Landon is not allowed to follow in Barker's face tattoo footsteps.
Barker may be covered head to toe in tattoos but his kids will have different rules. In an interview with TMZ, via XXL, the drummer explained that he told his son, “Until you walk in my shoes and you're ready to hustle like I did, you can't get face tattoos."
However, it appears his son has skirted his way around this rule, getting a small cross tattooed just below his eye.
12. Travis Barker treats being a father like it’s the best role in life.
In a conversation with People Magazine, via TooFab, about finding love again after Moakler, he told the magazine that while he wasn’t opposed, he wasn’t looking.
"I'm so content with my music and cars and my companies and my kids and touring, and I can't even imagine being the greatest boyfriend all the time," he said. "If I met someone, of course, I'm not against it. But the best role I have in life is being a father."
Fortunately, the times have changed since then and now Barker is engaged and still is one hell of a dad to his three children. One can only hope that this trend continues upward if (when) Kourtney and Barker have kids, but only time will tell.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.