Pete Wentz Compares Fatherhood to "Taking Happy Pills"

Fall Out Boy member opens up about his personal highs and lows and how his children have helped him

Pete Wentz tries to maintain a positive attitude, but like anyone else, he has his moments where he can't help but feel sad, angry or negative.

But he has a pretty awesome remedy to turn his mood around whenever he finds himself down in the dumps. "I have two kids, and if I hang out with them it's pretty much like taking happy pills," he tells The Red Bulletin. "When you hear a 1-year-old laugh, it's pretty much the funniest thing on the planet. It changes my mood."

The Fall Out Boy member is dad to Bronx Mowgli Wentz, whom he shares with ex-wife Ashlee Simpson, and Saint Lazlo Wentz, whom he has with girlfriend Meagan Camper. Even though Wentz couldn't be happier with his children, he has previously opened up about his concern that Bronx could inherit his bipolar disorder.

"Yeah, that's one of the things I've worried about," he revealed on The Howard Stern Show before describing the effects of the disorder and how he's able to manage it. "My highs, my happiness are really high and my lows are very low and I'm not able to regulate between the two. Through actual therapy and having kids it's way more under control and something I can see when I'm on the roller coaster and control it more." 

In addition to turning to his kids for a smile, Wentz also admitted that writing is very therapeutic for him, which is why he says to The Red Bulletin that fans who thank him for the band's music is the ultimate compliment.

"I'm not a therapist—I'm probably not even the best person to be giving out advice," he admits, "but I've been through some serious stuff myself, so when someone tells me that our songs have helped them through a breakup or that our music saved their life, that kind of human interaction is the real payoff of my job."

Wentz is careful to clarify that he doesn't feel that he or Fall Out Boy are responsible for making changes in someone's life; that's his/her own doing.

"But what's essential in a situation like this is to help people realize that it's not us, it's them that saved their own life," he adds. "Our songs, hopefully, are like the last little dip that puts the pep in your step. It's like, don't forget you're the milkshake. We're just the cherry on top."