Darius Rucker hates to say goodbye to his family. Even though he's had to do that a lot this year, the repetition doesn't make it get any easier

Rucker has been gone from home almost the entire year. He kicked off the 2014 leg of his True Believers Tour in January and will wrap it up with two weeks of shows in Europe next month. Although he tries not to be gone for more than three or four days at a time, the father of three admits it is grueling to keep having to say goodbye.

"My least favorite part is being away from family," Darius tells Country Weekly. "We want our kids to grow up as normal as possible, so we're not going to home school and take them on the road with me, or anything like that. They go to public school. So when I'm on the road and they're in school, I really miss them. I love being a dad."

Still, with 13-year-old daughter Daniella and 9-year-old son Jack still at home, the South Carolina native tries to find a balance between laying down the law and enjoying every moment.

"I think I'm a cool dad," he says. "I can be that disciplinarian dad, too, when I have to be, but I like to have fun with my kids. I like to do cool, fun things. I like to make memories with my kids."

Rucker's new single "Homegrown Honey" is the first single from his fourth solo country album to be released in early 2015, reports radio.com.