Family fun

I wasn't sure I'd have a good time at the Bon Jovi concert last night, but I did and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

My mom and sister are huge Bon Jovi fans. I liked him when I was 10 or 12, but honestly, if the song isn't on the "Slippery When Wet" album, I don't know it.

For the past several years, when Bon Jovi goes on tour and stops in Philadelphia, my mom and sister go to see him. This year they invited me and I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to hang out with my mom and sister in the most unusual setting I could imagine the two of them being in together as adults.

Formal American Idol cast off Chris Daughtry opened the show and he was entertaining, but not jump-out-of-your seat fun. I was afraid this had set the mood for the evening.

I wanted to have a good time and during Chris Daughtry's performance I realized that just because I am not a huge Bon Jovi fan didn't mean I couldn't have a good time at a Bon Jovi concert. It didn't matter that I thought the idea of going to a Bon Jovi concert was a little cheesy, I was surrounded by people who really liked him and didn't know me and wouldn't laugh at me for dancing and singing because they were all doing the same thing.

When Bon Jovi got on stage, everyone jumped out of their seats and started yelling, singing and dancing, including me, my mom and my sister. And for the rest of the night I had a really great time. The concert was filled with Bon Jovi standards that I remembered from my 12-year-old big hair days so I was able to sing along with the best of Bon Jovi fans. Of course, they played newer songs that I didn't know, but it didn't matter.

The show was fun, but the best part of the whole night was that I got to hang out with my sister and mom in a way that under normal circumstances would never happen. I hope that when my own children are grown I will be able to do this kind of thing with them and we have as much fun as we did last night.

When you're younger, you take your family for granted. If I was a teenager I would have been totally embarrassed about being at a concert with my family. But when you get older and have children of your own, you realize how special your family really is. It's more important to me now that I have a strong relationship with my family so that my own children can experience that sense of love and security among people who love them. And that includes being able to act like a crazy Bon Jovi fan, even if it was just for one night.

The concert may not have turned me into a Bon Jovi fan, but I hope he comes back to Philly next year because next year we want to get floor seats.