Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson
I try to stay away from the controversial headlines for the simple fact that I am well aware that I probably am not privvy to all the facts. I work in local government and am quoted in the local papers often. More times than not the article doesn't quite say what I said. Oftentimes the article is written in a way that sways the reader in one direction or another when I was always taught newspaper reporting should be "just the facts;" the concise answers to Who, What, Where, Why and How Much? That being said, I take what I read/see in any given media with a grain of salt.
Do I know if everything I read about Michael Jackson was true? Not at all. Does that mean he never did any of the things he was accused of? Again, not at all. I, personally, will never know. Do I have "feelings about" or "opinions on" - of course. But I'm not an expert and I don't claim to be all-knowing.
However, this is the one fact I do know: three little kids lost their father, the only parent they really ever knew.
If I were to die tomorrow there would be the (seemingly) obligatory custody dispute. My children have, without a doubt, spent way more time with me and my side of their family. I could have my sister & mother bring in boatloads of documentation that shows visits have been cancelled, ignored, disregarded, etc., but the bottom line decision will come from a judge. Presumably there will be a fiery attorney who will "prove" that the children are better off with their biological father they barely see for more than a couple hours a month than with the endless aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma & grandpa that have been an integral part of their lives since birth.
If I die, their world collapses.
If I die, everything they know as normal and (hopefully) comforting in small ways would more than likely disappear. They will be moved from the home they live in and sent to a home they have only spent limited time in. Impromptu phone calls inviting them to Starbucks with Nana, or to a sleepover slumber party with all the cousins at Grammy's house, will be replaced with court decisions over possible visitation dates and times - of which, most certainly, will not be enough.
If I die and am sent to my eternal home for peace, my children will begin an inner turmoil they could never begin to understand.
And so, I say this:
Whatever your opinion is of Michael Jackson, the fact remains this: Three young children lost the only parent they have ever known. The world of three young, innocent, didn't-ask-for-this children has collapsed, and their inner turmoil has begun. My heart absolutely breaks for them.
Do I know if everything I read about Michael Jackson was true? Not at all. Does that mean he never did any of the things he was accused of? Again, not at all. I, personally, will never know. Do I have "feelings about" or "opinions on" - of course. But I'm not an expert and I don't claim to be all-knowing.
However, this is the one fact I do know: three little kids lost their father, the only parent they really ever knew.
If I were to die tomorrow there would be the (seemingly) obligatory custody dispute. My children have, without a doubt, spent way more time with me and my side of their family. I could have my sister & mother bring in boatloads of documentation that shows visits have been cancelled, ignored, disregarded, etc., but the bottom line decision will come from a judge. Presumably there will be a fiery attorney who will "prove" that the children are better off with their biological father they barely see for more than a couple hours a month than with the endless aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma & grandpa that have been an integral part of their lives since birth.
If I die, their world collapses.
If I die, everything they know as normal and (hopefully) comforting in small ways would more than likely disappear. They will be moved from the home they live in and sent to a home they have only spent limited time in. Impromptu phone calls inviting them to Starbucks with Nana, or to a sleepover slumber party with all the cousins at Grammy's house, will be replaced with court decisions over possible visitation dates and times - of which, most certainly, will not be enough.
If I die and am sent to my eternal home for peace, my children will begin an inner turmoil they could never begin to understand.
And so, I say this:
Whatever your opinion is of Michael Jackson, the fact remains this: Three young children lost the only parent they have ever known. The world of three young, innocent, didn't-ask-for-this children has collapsed, and their inner turmoil has begun. My heart absolutely breaks for them.
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