It doesn’t fit that tough punk image, but it’s only natural that Joel Madden would be feel inspired to write about fatherhood for Good Charlotte’s fifth album. After all, he’s dad to 17-month-old Harlow, and he’s got another one on the way with girlfriend Nicole Richie!

“Fatherhood has a profound affect on just who you are,” he told People magazine. “It definitely gives you a whole new world to write about.”

But fatherhood hasn’t just influenced the way Joel writes songs; it’s affected all aspects of his life.

“You really can’t plan anything, you don’t know anything,” he explained. “You just have to take it as it comes.”

It’s that attitude that’s helped Joel survive fatherhood without too much stress.

“I mean, we’re not the first people to have babies so you’re going to be alright no matter what,” he said. “You have to have your own experience and learn as you go. Kids are very resilient and you just have to take it a day at a time.”

Joel says baby-on-the-way will be a delivery surprise, which is just another example of Joel taking things as they come I suppose!

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Camila Alves’ epic labor to give birth to son Levi is legendary now, but don’t think her partner Matthew McConaughey was sitting idly by. He was in charge of the playlist!

The actor told Elle that Camila requested tribal tunes, but the ones he picked weren’t always to her liking!

“She was also really quick to say, ‘Skip that f–kin’ song!’ So here I was blazing through this playlist while she’s nodding her head yay or nay, and I’m like, ‘This next song better have that groove or I’m going to have to run across the bed and change it,’” he admitted.

There was some speculation about unusual name choices, but Matthew said he “wouldn’t dare compete” with his brother Rooster, who infamously named his son Miller Lyte.

“Like calling [our baby] Jose Cuervo?” jokes Matthew. “[Rooster's] got a daughter coming, and I think her name is going to be Margarita. I’m serious.”

Oh I pity those poor children! Matthew sounds like a much more sensible daddy!

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Rock and roll glamour couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are splitting up their sons and heading out on the road. It’s bound to get hectic, but the couple wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I like the idea that we’re both working and both doing what we love,” Gavin shared. “So, that’s the way it goes. Anyone who has kids knows about sacrifices and the time you spend with your kids and working and different priorities.”

Gwen, who will tour with her band No Doubt, will take seven-month-old Zuma along for the ride because “he needs the milk.”

Meanwhile Gavin will have his biggest fan, two-year-old Kingston, to keep him company.

“He knows what we do and he asks me when I leave the house if I’m going to go sing today,” Gavin explained.

He might watch from the wings these days, but Gavin has no doubt that Kingston will have his own career in music before too long.

“I don’t know if he’s going to put that punk rocker to use in a band or whether he’s going to be like a Svengali manager,” he said.

It’s certainly in the genes!

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As a working musician, Ani DiFranco does motherhood a little differently from the rest of us. But that seems to suit her two-year-old daughter Petah just fine! The tot always follows her mother on tour, and is a fabulous addition to the crew.

“It’s great just to have her around,” the singer-songwriter said. “She is such a breath of fresh air, and she makes us all laugh.

“She’s a total rock ‘n’ roll baby – she stays up until 2 or 3 in the morning and wakes up at 3 in the afternoon. I think it’s a really cool life for a very young person to travel and see people be passionate about what they do.”

Many musicians lose their fire once they settle down with a partner and kids, but Ani says her passion for music hasn’t waned. She’s just approaching things a little differently these days.

“I am a more relaxed person,” she said. “People think the happy tone in my music must be [about] the baby, but it’s the baby and her father before her and the culture that surrounds us.”

Petah is the first child for Ani and husband Mike Napolitano.

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Dierks Bentley says that becoming a father to five-month-old daughter Evalyn “Evie” Day “has been great for my writing and my playing.”

He’s quick to assure fans that fatherhood has not inspired him to “writing songs about sippy cups and milk,” but that his daughter is a great sounding board.

“The great thing about having a kid is that they eat and then they need an hour of stimulation. So it’s, ‘Great, Evie, let me show you how I’m working on the guitar part for ‘Beautiful World.’ You have a kid, you’ll be playing great guitar in no time.”

Evalyn is the first child for Dierks and his wife Cassidy.

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James Morrison was singing to his baby daughter Elsie in the womb, and now she’s three months old he hasn’t stopped!

“In general, it’s good to have that musical part of your brain unlocked, you know,” the 24-year-old singer explained. “I just really wanted to make sure whatever happens, whether she’s a singer or not or a musician or not, as long as she knows what good music is and she can hear great songs, then that’s what I want her to do.”

In fact, the Brit sings so much his baby girl sometimes needs to take a break!

“Yeah, I started singing this thing to her the other day, like, ‘You’re always crying, you’re always crying to me!’ I just kind of, yeah, I try not to overpower her with singing too much to be honest. I play her a lot of music though, you know, and you know there’s plenty of time for her to get used to my singing voice.”

When she was born, James serenaded Elsie with “Isn’t She Lovely,” but it only made her cry! So now James sticks to lullabies.

“I think it’s good to you know, give them a little bit of a tune before they go to sleep. I used to like it when my mum used to sing to me. So yeah.”

I wouldn’t mind James singing to me sometime!

M.I.A. loves her music career, but the mom-to-be wants to make sure her baby doesn’t follow in her footsteps! The songstress plans to “buy it loads of instruments … so that it will completely rebel and go the other way.”

But if a musical career is this little one’s destiny, M.I.A says she won’t stand in its way.

“I think my baby is going to start off making club music. That’s all I’ve been listening to. Of course, you never know. When you want someone to do something, it ends up doing the opposite. It might end up being an accountant.”

She’s credited the little one with calming her down, adding that pregnancy has made her “feel more connected with the whole planet.

“It’s really strange…I definitely feel less angry.”

Unlike many expectant moms, M.I.A. isn’t thinking baby names just yet.

“I need to see the baby and see who it is, what kind of personality it’ll have. I need to give a name that is the character of the child. We’re quite relaxed about the whole thing.”

In the latest issue of People magazine, Christina Aguilera revealed she’s hoping to extend her family. And it could happen sooner rather than later!

“I honestly can’t wait for the next one! I do want more kids, and I want them to be close in age, at least the first two. I don’t know [how many total]; I don’t want to plan that too in-depth, so we’ll see what happens.”

But for now Christina’s busy with her 10-month-old son Max Liron, who seems to have inherited his mom’s love of music!

“He bangs on everything like a drummer! He’s definitely got the music gene.”

It was only last week that I was reminiscing with friends about the songs I used to listen to as a child. We didn’t have The Wiggles in my day, so my Dad used to play me “House on Pooh Corner” by Loggins and Messina and “Alexander Beetle” by Melanie Safka.

So I was thrilled to see some of my favorite celebrity moms and dads have shared their kids’ top tunes with People magazine.

• Melissa Etheridge’s kids Bailey, Beckett, and twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven have grown up around music their entire lives. They love “Common Threads” by Bobby McFerrin, Sarah McLachlan’s version of “Rainbow Connection,” “When it Don’t Come Easy” by Patty Griffin, and even a song by their mom, “Message to Myself.” “Really, it’s their fave!” Melissa insists.
• Joey McIntyre and his nine-year-old-son Griffin Thomas enjoy “Goodspeed (Sweet Dreams)” by the Dixie Chicks and “Your Song” by Elton John.
• Max Liron may be just eight months, but Christina Aguilera’s son already has some great music taste. His favorites include “Jamming” by Bob Marley, “Stay Awake” by Julie Andrews and funnily enough, “Relax Max” by Dinah Washington.
• Harlow Winter Kate, the daughter of Nicole Richie and and Joel Madden, loves the classics. Her top picks include “Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven and “Wild World” by Cat Stevens.
• Anthony Keidis’ son Everly Bear rocks just like his dad! His favorite songs include “Spaceship” by Sean Lennon and “Master of Puppets” by Metallica.
• River Samuel, the two-year-old son of Taylor Hanson, loves a bit of everything. His eclectic picks include everything from Believer by Ben Kweller to Black or White by Michael Jackson. Apparently “listening to that [song] is when he really busts a move.”
• Wyatt Steven’s favorite song is naturally one his mother Sheryl Crow wrote called “Song for Wyatt.” He also can’t resist “Elmo’s Song!”

I’d love to know, what songs do your kids love? And what did you listen to when you were little?

Garcelle Beauvis-Nilon worried that her 17-year-old son Oliver may struggle with the recent birth of her twins. But she needn’t have been concerned. Oliver loves being a big brother and is very close to the 10-month-old twins Jax Joseph and Jaid Thomas.

But Garcelle does have one concern: Oliver’s choice in music!

“He takes them to his room to listen to rap music, which I’m a little nervous about, but right now, since they don’t understand the lyrics, it’s OK,” she told US Weekly.

That could prove to be a real problem when the twins start to repeat what they hear!

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