Bruce Springsteen Recalls The Uncertaintly Of Parenthood

Bruce Springsteen spoke candidly about his cautious move into becoming a family man during his recent Renegades: Born In The USA podcast with Barack Obama on Spotify.

The Asbury Park Press transcribed some of “The Boss'” key observations on delving in to marriage and parenthood with wife Patti Scialfa in the early-90’s, with Springsteen recalling, “The problem that I had was I didn’t trust myself for a long, long, long time with someone else’s feelings. All you have is faith to go on. If you take a baby step, you’ll be able to take another one. Where did that faith come from? It comes out of the love in your life. My case: Patti was an enormous source of love in my life and a deep well of faith for me. Gave me the faith in myself to risk parts of myself that I’d never risked before and say, 'Hey, I think I’m there at a place where I can hold this down and let the chips fall where they may.'”

He spoke about the panic that comes with finally making the leap to open your heart fully: “If it all crumbles and comes apart and winds up in ruin, then that’s what happened. Y'know? But if it doesn’t, what if it doesn’t? Then what am I going to do? What if suddenly I find myself with a family and with a long-standing love? Who am I then?”

Springsteen went on to talk about his ultimate fear: “Deep inside I want to have a family, and I felt like I got to be honest with her. I said, 'Patti, I don’t know if I can make this.' And she said, 'Well, we’ll see.’'”

Bruce Springsteen, who has always reflected on the darker memories of his childhood and has spent decades in therapy rising above the circumstances of his life. He explained that dealing with your past is the easiest way to find peace in your present: “The price for not sorting through the issues that make up your emotional life and the choices you're making doesn't stay the same. It gets higher all the time. It gets higher from the same answers and the tricks and the lies you told yourself at 22 — you feel pretty good: 'I'm just goin' on down the road.' Y'know, 25, 26, 28, — 'feel a little less comfortable — but everything's okay (laughs), y'know?' But the older you get, the price goes up. The price goes up, and it keeps getting higher and higher and higher. And you pay more on a daily basis for not coming to grips for some of those things.”