But a lot of his daughter-related lyrics show his worry of not being there for them, whether since he’s on the roadway or, more frequently, since he’s opted for great, a situation he mentions in 2017’s “Arose”: “Smile pretty for pictures, always cherish each other / I’ll always love ya / And I’ll be in the back of your memory / And I know you’ll never forget me / Just don’t get sad when remembering.”
It makes good sense then, that back in 2011, he informed Rolling Stone that, to him, being an excellent dad indicated “just being there. Not missing things. If there’s anything important going on, regardless of what it is, I’m there. Helping them with homework when you can. At the grades my older ones are in, it’s hard.” He included with a laugh, “I never even passed ninth grade. They’re already way smarter than me.” (He had actually because finished his GED.)
And it broke his heart whenever they could not be together, such as when he was hospitalized in 2007 following a methadone overdose.
“I think I’d been out for two days, and when I woke up, I didn’t realize it was Christmas,” Eminem informed Rolling Stone “So the first thing I wanted to do was call my kids. I wanted to get home, and show them that Dad’s OK.” It was “definitely” tough to miss out on the vacation, not to point out Hailie’sDec 25 birthday. “Being a father, wanting to be there with your kids. It’s not a fun thing to deal with.”
