Chanel West Coast is opening up about her decision to homeschool her daughter, Bowie, as she works on her own country music career.
“I’m touring a ton, and at this phase of Bowie’s life, I think it’s best for me to be around her as much as possible,” Chanel, 38, exclusively shared with Us while celebrating the release of her new song, “Tennessee,” earlier this month. “The thought of having to leave her for a month for a tour kills me. Because she’s doing homeschool, she can come on the road with me. She can be with me much more.”
Chanel and her fiancé, Dom Fenison, became parents in November 2022 when they welcomed their first child together. Since then, Bowie has appeared on reality TV through her parents’ reality show, West Coast Hustle, and has been able to travel the country.
“It’s best if she’s able to come on the road with mommy, which I love for her too because she gets to travel, see new places. It’s really cute,” Chanel shared. “She’s starting to remember all the places, and so every time we’re getting ready to go, she’s like, ‘Are we going to Maui? Are we going to Nashville?’”
Homeschooling is by no means a permanent decision, according to Chanel.
If Bowie gets older and says she wants to go to a more traditional school, her mom will support it.
“But I think right now, especially at this time in my career and my life, it’s best for her to get as much quality time with her mother as possible,” Chanel shared. “I didn’t get a lot of that with my mom. My mom was a workaholic. She was a single mom. … I do feel like it kind of caused a little bit of a separation between my mother and I, and we didn’t really develop that bond because my mom was always working. That’s what I want Bowie and I to have so badly. I just want us to have that mother-daughter bond.”
When not soaking up her daughter’s latest milestones, Chanel is hard at work writing new songs and planning music videos.
As she continues collaborating with Nashville songwriters and producers, Chanel said she feels more inspired than ever before to pursue her musical aspirations.
While turning her dreams into reality, Chanel is surprised by some of the fashion critics and mommy-shamers she has faced online. When speaking with Us, the reality star urged women to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable.
“I will say that I tend to not wear anything sexy when I’m with my child. Maybe for a music video or performance or going out on date night with [Dom],” she said. “It’s not usually when I’m going out to take my daughter to ballet class or to run errands. Whenever I’m with Bowie, I’m usually dressed a little bit more conservative.”
Chanel continued, “I feel like there’s a lot of age-shamers out there as well. Like, ‘You’re gonna be 40 soon,’ and I’m like, ‘No, I just turned 38. I have two more years.’ … I don’t think I should be dressing more conservatively because I’m getting older. I’m gonna enjoy my body while I still have it.”
