Michael had Children; Remember That

Michael Jackson has always been a media darling. And his death, oh my Lord, has been a ratings bonanza not seen since the Pope's death. It's been a media circus, even more so than his 2005 child molestation trial. And I'm in the media, so I can say such things without being accused of being biased. He has been a bizarre, tortured, mystery figure surrounded in bizarre, tortured mystery for at least the last 10 years. It's been so hard to separate fact from fiction, and Michael was never one to help us separate it. Take his trial, for example. He laughed and giggled on the stand, for God's sake. As if he knew something we didn't. We still don't, and now we never will. But, as a mom, as I sit in the newsroom and write stories about his death and the various scandals and headlines, my mind settles on the kids.

Diana Ross is in the will! Debbie Rowe wants a restraining order against Joe! She's thinking about taking the kids! She wants to take the kids! It's all so scandalous and juicy. It's so easy to ignore what "the kids" means. There are children involved. Children who have grown up with their father's love, who have never known their biological mother, who have lived their lives in seclusion, more or less. It's so easy to dehumanize "the kids"...I myself am guilty of it. And yet, "the kids" are human beings. They are children, like mine and maybe yours, who have just lost the one person that meant the world to them, their father. That, to me, transcends his music and the allegations and everything else surrounding Michael Jackson. They are children to a man who has just died. And whether you love or revile the man, remember them. Keep them in your thoughts. Their lives have forever changed. My heart goes out to them. They are the children of the King of Pop, the children of the accused child abuser, the children of the freak, the children of their father. I hope they are able to live their lives in peace, surrounded by the love of family, and not the cold embrace of those who would eat them alive.

This is an original New Jersey Moms Blog post. Kate B. is a journalist and a new mom. She can also be found at her personal site, Rockin the Suburbs.