May 2010 Entries
Connecticut’s Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal was recently caught lying about his service in Vietnam. According to reports, this wasn’t the first time he misspoke and allowed the myth of his wartime service to be spread unchecked. Once caught, Blumenthal back-peddled, never labeled what he did a lie, and became defensive with media.
When Dr. Judith Wallerstein book, "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25-Year Landmark Study", was release a few years ago, it reconfirmed that divorce is not an event children quickly get over. In fact, the effects of divorce on children are profound and cumulative. The most distressing finding was that children of divorce do not get better with time. Instead they develop problems that tend to peak in their 20s and 30s.
One night, I decided to watch a VH1 series on the self-destruction of rock stars. Each star’s rise to fame took a similar path. First, there was a major disconnect with family through absence, abuse, or tragedy, resulting in an early loss of innocence. Music became an outlet of creativity and expression. A sudden rise in fame was followed by a long and dark journey into drugs, sex, and basic self-destruction.
I remember sitting next to “Ally” in church several Mother’s Days ago. As the pastor passionately called for all mothers to stand and be honored, Ally’s eyes began to water. She looked down and the tears began to flow. The pain became more unbearable. Embarrassed, she bolted from the pew. Ally was infertile.