Friday, April 20, 2007
Families
It's easy to hold onto nasty things that happened to us and only reluctantly (if at all) relinquish them as injuries we've suffered and/or as weapons against those who did them. I hope Ireland Baldwin has someone to help her understand and process the extraordinary and difficult things her parents do to and say about each other. The latest of their escapades is Alec's incredibly angry tirade left on her answering machine. And as if that wasn't enough, everyone can hear it, her school friends included, thanks to her mother releasing it to the press. Whew. I hope someday she'll understand that feelings can overwhelm you, even if you're not a toddler, and that it's easy to burst out very inappropriately. Undoubtedly her father really wanted to talk with her and I'm sure he was disappointed and frustrated when he got the machine. There's little as profoundly agitating as wanting to interact with a child who seems influenced against you by the other parent -- you know you shouldn't take it out on the child or even talk about it with the child. You even know it's really your spouse you should talk with but he/she is inaccessible or won't brook any discussion. Ultimately, especially in the complex organism known as a family, the regrettable but true answer is this: sometimes we cannot all get along.
Labels: people, reflections
PS, I forgot the other day, but sure, call me Tony.
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