It’s tough to always be in the limelight, especially if it’s all you’ve really known. Few active celebrities know this better than Bow Wow. The rapper, whose real name is Shad Morris revealed this week that he’s got a 3-year-old daughter who he’s deliberately kept out of the spotlight because he knows how damaged it can be. In a personal blog post to fans, he revealed some of his own struggles, and how proud he is to be a dad.

Bow Wow writes:

For the past 3 years i been batteling life. Even thought about taking my own. I felt like as a kid i did everything and saw everything too fast which spoiled my adult years. I felt as if i had no purpose to live(Thinking selfishly) until god gave me the illest gift of my life. No lambo, no blk card nuffn ammounts to my lil girl.

My lil girl is getting BIG fast. i love every minute of it. She inspires me to go harder.Even made me treat my mother better, its like it made me into a man over night. Never been a fan of posting pix of my daughter. Reason is because i want my boo boo to have everything i didnt. Want her to be able to cheerlead with her lil friends with out some asshole sticking his camera all in my lil girl face. I know how fame is. I missed out on so much that i now know how important it is to cherish and have those things in your life. Yes! I change diapers.

Bow Wow doesn’t live with his daughter or her mother and talked about his frustrations. "I want her to live with me so bad. Jus us 2," he wrote. "Thats my dream man but fellas yall know how it go. Baby gotta stay with they momma and all dat bull. I hate that! So i have to fly 5 hrs away to see her. I find myself going into my i phone book jus lookn at pix of her. Sometimes i tear up cuz i just cant believe it brotha be emotional. All in all im good."