Bruce Springsteen says it took him time to learn the importance of being present with his kids.
During an interview on Wednesday’s episode of the “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast, the musician spoke about balancing his career with fatherhood.
Springsteen has been married to Patti Scialfa since 1991, and they have three children: Evan, 34; Jessica, 33; and Sam, 31. He credits his wife for teaching him one of the most important parenting lessons.
“And one of the things that Patty taught me was, she says, ‘Listen, you can’t just be here. You’ve got to be present,'” Springsteen told Michelle Obama.
The musician said that he used to prioritize his work over spending time with his kids.
“I used to think, ‘Well, wait a minute, I got a song to write.’ I’m thinking these great thoughts. Come on, you’re going to get in the way of my great thoughts, you know?” he said.
But over time, his perspective shifted because he realized that his children were growing up quickly.
“And I learned that if you’ve got a good song, it’s going to be there tomorrow,” he said. “But the kids, they’re going to be gone.”
Childhood is brief, and the time they have to make memories as a family will pass quickly. Even if he remains close to his kids, they have their own lives to lead once they get older, he added.
Springsteen recalled a conversation with his eldest son that made him realize his son had picked up on his own habits of being unavailable.
“Like if I asked him to do something, I had signaled him that I wanted him to say no. If I asked you to do something, it’s always ‘Maybe later, Dad.’ I think I taught him to do that,” Springsteen said.
After that incident, he decided to prioritize time with his kids over his work.
“You know, so I realized that parenting is pennies in the bank. It’s that time when you were working and you didn’t want to stop, but you did,” Springsteen said. “That made a huge difference to me because I always felt if I had failed with my kids, I would have failed tremendously in life.”
Springsteen isn’t the only celebrity who has spoken about the difficulties they faced in balancing their personal and professional lives.
In January, Cameron Diaz, who took a decadelong hiatus from Hollywood, said she spent those 10 years “trying to stay alive just like every other mother.”
In May, Michelle Williams said on the “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” podcast that balancing her career and motherhood is like figuring out “which master you’re going to serve.”
A representative for Springsteen did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
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