"Life had just started to get a bit messy when Linda became pregnant with Mary. Allen Klein was involved with the Beatles and, over the year, things seemed to get more chaotic and worrying. Then, the miracle: our Mary. The chaos got pushed to one side and all I cared about was being a dad. But there was still a lot of unpleasantness flying around, so in the end I said: 'Let’s get out of here, go to Scotland and be a family.' It wasn’t planned, but Mary came at exactly the right time. She changed my perspective to a degree where I could look at what was happening with the Beatles and think, 'Does it really matter?' If you were a dad in the late 1960s, you were part of that first wave who got involved with the whole process of pregnancy and birth. One afternoon I remember going down to the local Family Planning Association and picking up a booklet called You Are Having a New Baby. I loved reading it: 'At this-many-weeks, your baby will be as big as an orange.' And then being there at the birth! In my dad’s day, that would have been unheard of. My first solo album came out in 1970 and I decided to use one of Linda’s photos of me and Mary on the cover. This tiny head poking out from the inside of my jacket. These days you wouldn’t do it because it feels dangerous to put pictures of your kids out there, but back then we weren’t bothered. A lot of musical acquaintances warned me that being a dad would change my professional life. You can’t take kids on tour, you can’t have them in the studio. My professional life did change because I was no longer in the band, but I was still writing and recording. For the first Wings tour in 1972 we simply packed a load of nappies and toys and took the kids with us. Later, when they were at school, I’d have a word with the headmaster. “Look, we’ll be away for six weeks and I don’t relish the thought of getting a call in Australia saying something’s happened to one of the kids.” The school gave us a list of the lessons they’d be missing and we took a tutor with us, which the kids hated. They saw it as a six-week holiday. Like all parents, we were dreading the rebellious teens, but the most rebellion we had from Mary and Stella was having to listen to Wham! all day long. Looking back, I guess that wasn’t too bad. In 1998 Mary and the kids lost their mum and I lost … Linda. I knew it was my job to be 'strong Dad who keeps it together', but you can’t do that the whole time unless you completely hide your feelings. Eventually my emotions started leaking out. That’s when the roles were reversed and the kids rallied round me. We got through it, but we all struggled because she was the glue that held everything together. Linda would have been so happy to see how far vegetarianism has come since we started the food business in 1991. And now Mary’s continuing the tradition with her own vegan cooking show. Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved musically, but I’m also proud that Linda played such a big part in bringing vegetarian food into people’s homes. Christmas and new year were a big family thing when I was a kid, so I keep the tradition going. Me and Nancy like to go to Mary’s, the grandkids running around with their new toys. I do it for them as much as me — I want them to experience the same joy I felt at their age. That connection with family is what keeps me sane. I’ve got my fingers crossed for 2022. Like everyone, I’m hoping we’ll get a chance to do some of the things we’ve missed out on, see the people we love. It’ll be nice to have a bit more normality." -Paul McCartney (2021)
