January 2010 Entries
Photo ops of John Edwards helping the poor in Haiti last week led to a blast of criticism and mean-spirited blogging. In Haiti, Edwards finally admitted that his affair with Rielle Hunter produced their now two-year old daughter. That admission resulted in public judgment and stone throwing. As a family therapist, I was put off by the media frenzy to crucify this man.
I was bored on the YMCA elliptical, so I picked up copies of several pop magazines and began to read. What I found in article after article was praise given to celebrities for taking moments out of their busy lives to parent their children. The more I read, the more I thought this was a sort of spoof on parenting. Sadly, it was not.
I was sitting in church a few weeks ago when a guest speaker was talking about his family’s decision to give away their two small eight-year-old dogs. I could hardly listen to the story and the somewhat buried spiritual point because I couldn’t wrap my brain around giving away our family pet. When Teddy, our beloved miniature poodle, died at 16 years of age, the loss hit me hard.
If you made the familiar trek home to be with family this past holiday season but it turned out to be your personal survivor reality show, you are not alone. Unfortunately, most families don't function like 1950s sitcoms. In fact, family get-togethers can create angst, leaving us with post holiday let down.