Lance Bass says he's looking forward to bringing his twins to visit family — then leaving them with the grandparents so he and his husband can have some alone time

• Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, welcomed twins in 2021.
• The almost 2-year-old twins are learning English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

Lance Bass plans to bring his toddler twins to his home state of Mississippi to visit family this summer. Then, like loads of other parents, he plans to leave the kids with the grandparents so he can enjoy some much-needed alone time with his husband.

"They're going to have summer camp with my parents," Bass told Insider.

The former NSYNC singer and his husband, Michael Turchin, are dads to Violet Betty and Alexander James, who were born via surrogate in October 2021. Now that the twins are nearly 2, Bass says he's seeing more of their personalities — especially Alexander's mischievous side.

"They're trying to get into as much trouble as they can right now," he said. "He's such an instigator to her. He's always bugging her. That's going to be his thing going forward."

As for the terrible twos, Bass isn't very worried.

"They're very ornery, especially my son," Bass says. "But that's OK — I like ornery."

Bass aims to balance independence and safety for his twins

Bass doesn't want to be a helicopter parent to Violet and Alexander, he says. He intentionally makes time to step back and let the twins think they're alone, just to see what they get up to. Oftentimes, that leads to Alexander pushing his sister's buttons, Bass says.

"We try to give them as much freedom as we can to learn and experience," he said. "Sometimes, you have to let them fall off the couch to learn what gravity is."

But safety is also at the forefront for Bass. Recently Alexander is into everything, including remotes. That's part of the reason Bass partnered with Duracell to promote batteries that are coated with a bitter non-toxic coating. The hope is that if curious toddlers like Alexander put the batteries in their mouths, they'll spit them back out, avoiding the medical emergency of swallowing a battery.

The twins are already learning 3 languages

Bass never learned to speak another language other than English, but he hopes that Alexander and Violet will be fluent. He and Turchin are exposing the tots to Spanish and Mandarin.

"That's one thing I'm definitely giving them," Bass said. "The more languages they can speak by heart, the better, as this world blends together more and more."

Although he's trying to savor every minute — following advice from friends with older kids — Bass says he can't help but think about the future with Violet and Alexander.

"I'm already thinking about their wedding and my grandkids," he said. "What they'll like, what instruments they want to play, what sport they're attracted to. I want to see their interests as they develop."

Bass is looking forward to some down time this summer

Although Bass plans to work a lot during the summer, he's looking forward to family time, with and without the babies. The whole family will fly down to Mississippi to visit Bass's family, including his 95-year-old grandparents.

"I love seeing them with my grandparents," he said. "It's amazing that they are around for their youngest great-grandchildren."

Most of Violet and Alexander's cousins are older, but the toddlers are "obsessed" with them, Bass said. While the twins stay with family, Bass, and Turchin are planning a road trip with some outdoor activities and spa time — Bass's favorite way to recharge.

"That re-energizes me and makes me into a much better person," he said. "One thing we were always told was to take time to yourself."

That's a lesson Bass plans to teach the twins one day. As they get older, he wants them to always feel safe, and know they can talk to him about anything.

"I just want to be an empathetic dad," he said. "I want them to feel loved and know what courage is."