'We Loved Them. It's That Simple.'
by Fran Carpentier
published: 10/27/2009
What was your greatest fear as a parent?
"Kevin was my first child. When he was 20 months old, I was pregnant with Joe. And I would cry every night--every night--thinking, 'how could I ever love the new baby as much as I love Kevin?' because he was just so spectacular, so special. I really struggled; I was so concerned. I just did not know how I could love another child as much as I loved my first. And as soon as Joe was born, it was like, 'How did I ever think that?! How could I have ever even felt that way?'"
Frankie is the youngest Jonas by eight years. Are you raising him any differently from the way you raised Kevin, Joseph and Nick?
"We want life to be very normal for Frankie. He's certainly being raised in kind of a different way from our older boys because our family has changed, we've learned a lot of things, and our lives are different today. Frankie probably gets away with a little bit more than his brothers ever did because our schedules are so busy and because [laughs] I am tired!
"I think you would find Frankie just as charming as the other boys. I'm amazed at him and at what has been thrown at him at such a young age. He loves his brothers, is very supportive--yet, at 9, he's his own person. Frankie has a roll in the new movie--it's not a TV movie. All four Jonas Brothers are in it. I'm not even sure I'm supposed to talk about it. Frankie was being interviewed about the movie and was asked, 'Which Jonas Brother is the best actor?' And he answered, 'Oh, my brothers are all great actors.' The interviewer pushed, 'But what about you--aren't you the best?' And he simply stated, 'Oh, no. No way.' I am amazed by him."
How do you deal with the constant spotlight that your famous sons live under?
"The spotlight is always on, and I am always worried. My sons are human, they err, and they will err. And there's always somebody looking to see if they will make a mistake. And they will, and I'm not going to be surprised, and I'm not going to be shocked, and I'm not going to disown them. I love them. And if they do make a mistake, I expect them to learn how to deal with it, to pick themselves up, and move on. We all make mistakes. We all have things that come our way that are difficult. Then also, there's always more than one side to every story. I just ignore a lot of that stuff. It's all negative."
Is there anything you would change about your sons?
"I wouldn't change anything--other than Nick's diabetes. But this 'detour' has been a backdoor blessing. Nick has brought a whole new wave of understanding to diabetes and helped countless people. I see it at the concerts, the way people respond to him when he sings 'Just A Little Bit Longer.' Lives have even been saved--it's amazing how many people didn't know about diabetes or its symptoms."
Have you ever shown favoritism to any of your sons?
"Favoritism, no. But I think that for certain reasons, at certain times, one child may need more nurturing than another. I've seen that with all of my sons at different stages, with different hormones going on in their bodies, certainly I've seen that. But it's certainly not about being more proud of one son than the other, or having a favorite. But within the entertainment industry, I have seen instances where a parent has a favorite child or favors one of their children over another, and that breaks my heart."
What about favoritism between your sons?
"My husband and I have tried very hard to encourage our sons to be very supportive of one another, and they are. What's great is that my three older boys include Frankie in everything."
Do the Jonas Brother still need "mothering"?
"Yes. I think so."
Is that why you still tour regularly with the Jonas Brothers?
"Actually, Johnny Wright gave me the best advice about this. Johnny co-manages the boys. He managed the Back Street Boys, 'N Sync, Britney [Spears], and Justin [Timberlake]. So he has worked with a lot of minors and watched them grow into adulthood. He has seen everything. I asked Johnny, 'My sons are getting older. I don't want to be in the way. Should I keep touring with them?' And he said, 'Denise, stay with them until they're 50.'
"Actually, the boys are going to South America without me. But I always go on tour as much as I can. Why would I want to be away from my husband and my family?"
What Jonas Brothers' scoops do you have for Parade.com?
"Nick is working on a solo act--it's called Nick Jonas and The Administration. Shhh! He's at the photo shoot for the album cover right now. And Kevin and his fiancee, Danielle Deleasa, have set a wedding date--but it's completely private. Danielle, bless her heart, is from a great little Italian family. She is everything I ever prayed for and hoped for Kevin."
So, are you ready to be a mother-in-law?
"Absolutely!"
"Kevin was my first child. When he was 20 months old, I was pregnant with Joe. And I would cry every night--every night--thinking, 'how could I ever love the new baby as much as I love Kevin?' because he was just so spectacular, so special. I really struggled; I was so concerned. I just did not know how I could love another child as much as I loved my first. And as soon as Joe was born, it was like, 'How did I ever think that?! How could I have ever even felt that way?'" Frankie is the youngest Jonas by eight years. Are you raising him any differently from the way you raised Kevin, Joseph and Nick?
"We want life to be very normal for Frankie. He's certainly being raised in kind of a different way from our older boys because our family has changed, we've learned a lot of things, and our lives are different today. Frankie probably gets away with a little bit more than his brothers ever did because our schedules are so busy and because [laughs] I am tired!
"I think you would find Frankie just as charming as the other boys. I'm amazed at him and at what has been thrown at him at such a young age. He loves his brothers, is very supportive--yet, at 9, he's his own person. Frankie has a roll in the new movie--it's not a TV movie. All four Jonas Brothers are in it. I'm not even sure I'm supposed to talk about it. Frankie was being interviewed about the movie and was asked, 'Which Jonas Brother is the best actor?' And he answered, 'Oh, my brothers are all great actors.' The interviewer pushed, 'But what about you--aren't you the best?' And he simply stated, 'Oh, no. No way.' I am amazed by him."
How do you deal with the constant spotlight that your famous sons live under?
"The spotlight is always on, and I am always worried. My sons are human, they err, and they will err. And there's always somebody looking to see if they will make a mistake. And they will, and I'm not going to be surprised, and I'm not going to be shocked, and I'm not going to disown them. I love them. And if they do make a mistake, I expect them to learn how to deal with it, to pick themselves up, and move on. We all make mistakes. We all have things that come our way that are difficult. Then also, there's always more than one side to every story. I just ignore a lot of that stuff. It's all negative."
Is there anything you would change about your sons?
"I wouldn't change anything--other than Nick's diabetes. But this 'detour' has been a backdoor blessing. Nick has brought a whole new wave of understanding to diabetes and helped countless people. I see it at the concerts, the way people respond to him when he sings 'Just A Little Bit Longer.' Lives have even been saved--it's amazing how many people didn't know about diabetes or its symptoms."
Have you ever shown favoritism to any of your sons?
"Favoritism, no. But I think that for certain reasons, at certain times, one child may need more nurturing than another. I've seen that with all of my sons at different stages, with different hormones going on in their bodies, certainly I've seen that. But it's certainly not about being more proud of one son than the other, or having a favorite. But within the entertainment industry, I have seen instances where a parent has a favorite child or favors one of their children over another, and that breaks my heart."
What about favoritism between your sons?
"My husband and I have tried very hard to encourage our sons to be very supportive of one another, and they are. What's great is that my three older boys include Frankie in everything."
Do the Jonas Brother still need "mothering"?
"Yes. I think so."
Is that why you still tour regularly with the Jonas Brothers?
"Actually, Johnny Wright gave me the best advice about this. Johnny co-manages the boys. He managed the Back Street Boys, 'N Sync, Britney [Spears], and Justin [Timberlake]. So he has worked with a lot of minors and watched them grow into adulthood. He has seen everything. I asked Johnny, 'My sons are getting older. I don't want to be in the way. Should I keep touring with them?' And he said, 'Denise, stay with them until they're 50.'
"Actually, the boys are going to South America without me. But I always go on tour as much as I can. Why would I want to be away from my husband and my family?"
What Jonas Brothers' scoops do you have for Parade.com?
"Nick is working on a solo act--it's called Nick Jonas and The Administration. Shhh! He's at the photo shoot for the album cover right now. And Kevin and his fiancee, Danielle Deleasa, have set a wedding date--but it's completely private. Danielle, bless her heart, is from a great little Italian family. She is everything I ever prayed for and hoped for Kevin."
So, are you ready to be a mother-in-law?
"Absolutely!"
1 comments:
it´s the best interview ever...so tender...
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