Notes on a Scandal

I know I usually write funny stories on my kids and myself but something is bugging me this morning.

Yes, I live in Washington, DC. A city that is no stranger to scandals and the fall of morals. Yes, it is a city of corruption and power. And as scandals break all the time, I'm either mildly amused by them or I just ignore them.

Yesterday the story broke on the prostitution ring that the Governor of New York was involved in and of course the story has ties in Washington. But that's not whats bugging me.

On the news they showed pictures of the Mayflower Hotel here in town where many of the illicit activities took place. And they showed photos of the Governors family. And to my horror, there he was with his wife and 3 daughters. 3 daughters. 3 girls. And he was involved in a prostitution ring, exploiting other people's daughters. Other girls. And there he was with his 3 daughters.

As a mother of a beautiful girl this angers me. It angers me how the father of 3 daughters, who no doubt has nixed the job of prostitute for his own girls has not problem using other ladies, who turns out are daughters of someone else.

Raising a girl is tough. There are so many pressures on them and so many awful things that can happen to them. I'm beat myself up on on a daily basis wondering if I said or did the wrong thing to Ally that could start her life in a downward spiral of drug abuse or promiscuity. And than I realize, she's only 3 and it's going to be okay.

Yet, I find myself wanting to protect her. Wanting to guide her to be a strong girl. We've recently found ourselves in princess hell where Ally loves the princesses. And all the princesses meet prince charming and fall in love and get married. And as it turns out, most of the princesses are married at 16. But I add anecdotes like, well first Cinderella got her PhD in Biotechnology and after she reached tenure and the won the Nobel prize for all of her research, than she got married. I want my daughter to have strong values. And I try not to contradict those by trying to be strong woman myself.

I have Jack, and I worry about him too, I want him to have good values and to get his PhD too. I don't have double standards. Boys have social pressures too.


And than there's that guy. The Governor of New York, who I'm sure wants good for his daughters, yet exploits women at the same time.

We live in world of double standards, and I guess this is my vow to try and raise my kids to be the opposite of those standards. To be strong individuals.

And in the meantime, to the daughters of the Governor. I'm so sorry.