Paris Jackson Talks Michael Jackson: "He Was an Incredible Father"

Superstar's teenage daughter opens up for the first time about her extraordinary childhood and her desire to make Neverland a refuge for sick kids

Paris Jackson is opening up about growing up with the King of Pop.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday's Event magazine, Michael Jackson's now 15-year-old daughter talked reverently about the late music legend, calling him an "incredible father," explained what she hopes to do with his legacy when she's older, and revealed her own professional ambitions, which surprisingly don't include showbiz.

"I have lots of memories of my father," Paris told the U.K. publication. "He was an incredible father. We all loved him to death. He'd try to educate us as much as he could and was always looking out for us. He was very protective."

Jackson also clarified the reason why the "Thriller" singer often had her and her brothers, Prince and Blanket, wear masks when he took them out in public.

"He didn't want anyone to see what we looked like. That way we could have what he didn't, which was a normal childhood," she said.

Paris, who was just 11 when Jackson died in June 2009, also lamented what's become of her beloved childhood home Neverland Ranch, especially after she visited two years ago and saw that its iconic Ferris wheel had been torn down.

"I cried and cried," she confessed. "It's beautiful there. It still has good energy."

PICS: Paris Jackson flaunts new rocker haircut

The teenager said she hoped one day to restore Neverland to its past glory to be used for sick children to enjoy. She plans to get to work on the project as soon as she becomes an adult and comes into the millions in inheritance her father left her and her siblings.

The younger Jackson also revealed her intention, when she's old enough, to honor the entertainer by getting a tattoo on her wrist of words contained in a tender note he once wrote to her.

As for her own future, while Jackson did give her dance lessons when she was younger (girl's gotta moonwalk), Paris confessed that she's not looking to follow in his footsteps careerwise as her dream is to become a heart surgeon.

"I want to help people," she said.

In the meantime, while she and her brothers now live with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson in a posh mansion, Jackson is still not much different from any other kids her age, attending high school, performing on the high school cheerleading squad and even trying her hand at women's football.

"I want to have a normal high-school experience," said Paris.

No doubt, she deserves it.