Relinquishee, Adoptee, MPE
Author, Speaker.

Jon Bon Jovi: Fatherhood and Work-Life Balance

Jon bon Jovi may be a Hollywoord rock star but he’s much like you and me. He’s been married for 18 and has four children. He’s missed birthdays and school plays and finally he came to a cross roads. He achieved what he thought was it and he found himself disappointed by it. He knew things had to change and he made them change.

Do you think you know what it’s like to be a rock star dad? You’ve read over the years of the trials and tribulations of some of the world’s most popular icons. You’re sick and tired of hearing about their collective demise, yet feel compassion for those living the Sex/Drugs/Rock ‘n Roll lifestyle because of the insurmountable odds they face in trying to triumph over the challenges of that life and culture.

There have been troubles with the law, divorces, stints in rehabs, 12-Step meetings, illnesses, and even tragic deaths.

If you’ve heard it all before, and and just know where things always seem to lead, why do you want to know about Jon Bon Jovi’s life? Because he’s much like you and me.

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From BestLife Magazine

Jon Bon Jovi isn’t the stereotypical Hollywood rock star. He values family – he’s been married to his high school sweetheart Dorothea for 18 years, has four children (Stephanie Rose – 14, Jesse James – 12, Jake – 5, and Romeo Jon – 3), generally stays out of trouble, and keeps his family away from the public side of his life. He has been very private and is quite abnormal compared to what we hear about today’s stars, and wants to keep it that way.

Above all, Jon Bon Jovi is human. He makes mistakes, and is fallable, imperfect, and vulnerable. He’s just like you and me.

This from Jon Bon Jovi is more complicated than you think (BestLife Magazine):

“I’ve been in one of the biggest rock bands in the world for 25 years, and I’m not a saint, and I have not been a saint. And, Christ, I missed tons of birthdays and school plays.”

He’s also much like you and me in that he has had profound moments in his life that catalyzed him to change. At one point, he came to a crossroads:

“I’d achieved what I thought was it, and I was disappointed by it. I was like, Is that it?”

He knew something had to change, but wasn’t sure how to accomplish it. But accomplish it he did.

He pulled himself out of some very lonely, unhappy, and unfulfilled times.

I know exactly what this feels like. I am reminded by his story of the saying: Be careful what you wish for.

When he thinks about those years, he knows one thing for sure: He remembers what it felt like. This helps him to know that he never wants to return to that way of life. He also knows that, if he’s not careful – if he doesn’t live a life in support of his deepest values – he could wind up there again.

Jon Bon Jovi isn’t exactly like you and me, or anyone else on this earth for that matter. But he’s enough like you and me that we can relate to what he’s been through and learned, and use that information and motivation to sustain the life and lifestyle we’ve chosen for ourselves.

Many of us have traveled (or are traveling) a similar path.

We aren’t perfect, nor do we want to be or need to be anymore. We’ve made mistakes, but we’ve taken responsibility for them and taken action to amend the situations we created as a result of our behavior. Life today isn’t perfect either, but the good far outweighs the bad. Sometimes the pendulum of balance swings violently and quickly from one side to the other, but we have the tools and desire to be careful to avoid the extremes and bring things back into balance.

We’re human. We’re learning and growing, and we’re happy and fulfilled.

And that’s what life is all about.

Thanks to Anything Goes & General News for including this post in the carnival, and to Blue Skelton for including this post in the Celebrity Gossip Carnival.

Thanks also to Kailani at An Island Life for including this in the Carnival of Family Life.

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