His talent was incredible- his personal life and choices were complicated.

Over and over in my writing I discuss the importance of letting children be children. Michael was never giving that opportunity, and I believe many of his issues stemmed from this fact. It saddens me that he probably never felt good enough or worthy, despite his amazing gifts.

When children are fetishized and made into little monuments, they miss many vital opportunities for emotional growth. They learn to believe that their value is based only their ability to perform, and they lack a sense of intrinsic value which is necessary for healthy emotional development. As parents we have the responsibility to love our children for who they are, rather than what they do. 

I am certain Michael loved his own children and my heart goes out to them. I hope and pray the adults in their lives are giving them the support they deserve during this time.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 27th, 2009 at 6:19 am and is filed under 1. Angst Mom Essays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.