Miley Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus
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Billy Ray Cyrus has had a rough road recently, and it has given him time to reflect -- especially on his 18-year-old daughter Miley Cyrus.

In a chat on Cyrus' Tennessee ranch with GQ, the conversation quickly turned to his daughter: "How many interviews did I give and say, 'You know what's important between me and Miley is I try to be a friend to my kids'? I said it a lot. And sometimes I would even read other parents might say, 'You don't need to be a friend, you need to be a parent.'"

You can almost hear the hurt as Cyrus adds, "Well, I'm the first guy to say to them right now: You were right. I should have been a better parent. I should have said, 'Enough is enough -- it's getting dangerous and somebody's going to get hurt.' I should have, but I didn't. Honestly, I didn't know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere."

When recent footage of Miley's 18th birthday party hit the Internet, she was caught smoking a bong pipe. It caused the 'Achy Breaky Heart' singer to take to his Twitter, writing, "Sorry guys. I had no idea. Just saw this stuff for the first time myself. I am so sad. There is much beyond my control right now."

The country star can sympathize with his daughter to some degree, as he knows what it is like to do dumb things as a teenager, but he says, "It's different when you sit back and you see it happening to your little girl. When you go through what she's been through, it takes a beating on you. And there comes a point where you just got to step back."

Still, Cyrus wants to put some rumors to rest and set the record straight. He says, "I've never made a dime off of Miley. You got a lot of people have made percentages off of her. I'm proud to say to this day I've never made one commissioned dollar, or dime, off of my daughter."

Cyrus reveals that he and Miley do communicate today, but that communication "could be a lot better." He admits, "I'm scared for her. She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she's 18, but I still feel like as her daddy. I'd like to try to help, to at least get her out of danger. I want to get her sheltered from the storm."

As for the show 'Hannah Montana,' Cyrus is painfully honest. Wishing it had never happened, he says, "It destroyed my family."

Cyrus penned a song the other day, titled 'Feels Like Goodbye,’ and the lyrics echo his life right now: “Cold wind's blowing / Sat here knowing / My heart's about to break.”

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