Behind the spotlight and fame, there are personal stories full of challenges and difficulties. An example of this is the experience lived by Jon Bon Jovi and his daughter Stephanie, to whom he gave her unconditional love and support when she hid from her family the bad steps she was taking.
Parents do not have a manual to face all the circumstances of parenting, but they always do their best to educate and protect their children, and this story is a clear testimony of this.
Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, have four children from their only marriage. They began their love story in 1980 and were together for three years before temporarily separating. However, in 1984, after a world tour, he proposed resuming their relationship, which she accepted, and they have remained together ever since.
Stephanie is the singer's first daughter. She was born in May 1993 and has been a great inspiration in the rock star's life. In fact, the song “I’ve Got the Girl” was written by him in her honor, leading her to share the stage and dance together to the song for the first time when she was barely 7 years old.
But not everything is rosy in the celebrity family, and Jon Bon Jovi knows it very well. A few years ago, his daughter Stephanie, who was doing well academically in college, experienced a sudden decline, and the reasons were something no parent expects to discover when receiving a call from a hospital.
In 2012, when Stephanie was in her first year of college and was only 19 years old, she went through a dangerous and unexpected situation due to substance abuse. Fortunately, after being found unconscious in the dormitory of the university she attended, she was taken to a hospital where she recovered.
During the episode, Stephanie contacted the singer to inform him of her situation, initially assuring him that she was fine and then revealing the reasons for her call. For him, that experience was simply horrible, to the point of considering it the worst moment of being a father. Still, he showed his strength by saying “she's human. “This tragedy was something I had to deal with as well, so we will suffer.”
Although he had no prior knowledge of his daughter's substance abuse, Bon Jovi acknowledged that these situations are more common than one might think. Furthermore, he highlighted the pressures and temptations that young people face today, commenting that for him, “there are many more pressures on children: what is this university degree going to do for me? What am I going to be when I grow up? Will I be able to achieve things?”
When talking about that experience with his daughter, Jon Bon Jovi comments that parents do not have a manual to deal with all the situations that arise in parenting. But, despite this, the singer expresses that he did everything possible to educate her in the best way, surrounding her with love and affection. After what he has experienced, he highlights the importance of, in difficult moments like that, providing the best support and help that is necessary to move forward.
Sixteen years after their first performance together, during a concert, Stephanie surprised the audience by joining her father for another dance. Jon Bon Jovi reflected on how children grow up quickly and rededicated the song to his daughter, who is no longer a little girl.
Despite the band's fame and success, Jon Bon Jovi considers himself a family man and attributes his stability to his longtime wife, Dorothea Hurley Bongiovi, who is the “glue” that keeps him united with the family.
