As Jon Bon Jovi prepares to return to the stage to perform at the 12-12-12 concert (on Dec. 12) to benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy, the rocker is opening up about his daughter's troubles last month. Stephanie Bongiovi's arrest at her Hamilton College dorm room came after a suspected heroin overdose, an incident that "shocked" Bon Jovi.
"I appreciate the outpouring of kindness in light of what happened in my household," Bon Jovi said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm shocked as much as the next parent with this situation and had no idea. But then you surround them with the best help and love and move on, and that's where we're at with it."
Bon Jovi reflected on his early days as a parent to a baby girl. "I didn't have any sisters. We bring home this girl the first day. Now what? Where's the manual? There was no manual. So you bring her up the best you can, you surround her with hugs and kisses and know that she may eventually fall down.
"Steph is a great kid. Great GPA. Cool school, Hamilton College up in Clinton, N.Y. Everything about it is idyllic," the rocker said. "She was doing great. Then a sudden and steep decline. Hopefully, we caught it when we did and that's the end of it. But who knew? I've got three more to come," said the father of four.
Are his daughter's struggles a result of bad decision making? "I hope so," he said. "I'm confident, but no one knows the future. It is what it is."
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