For Clay Aiken, parenting is one space in life he finds safe.

While the American Idol alum has been in the public eye since more than two decades, he’s largely kept his family life with son 16-year-old Parker Aiken, whom he shares with his friend Jaymes Foster, out of the spotlight. However, he recently shed some light on his parenting style.

“I’m just tough in general,” the season two finalist told E! News in an exclusive interview. “I find that I appreciate criticism. I appreciate people pointing out things that I can do better.”

That said, Aiken is proud of how he was able to give Parker a sense of normalcy.

“We did a very good job, I think, for 16 years, keeping him completely out of the public eye, the “Invisible” singer said. “I wanted him to be able to grow up as normally as he could.”

The family made one allowance, letting Parker join in on Celebrity Family Feud in August.