Family Relationships

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

As the spin doctors continue to review what went right with Hillary Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, the significant moment seems to be when, exhausted, she choked up, expressing her emotions of frustration, sadness, resignation. The voters saw a person who was not removed and isolated from them, but one who suffered, just as they did, from the complexity of life. Her humanness came through.

Are you afraid to show your own emotions to those around you? As a Sandwiched Boomer you may often be at your wits end, coming to the aid of your ailing parents or growing children. Do you try to protect your family from knowing how hard it is for you? Instead of burying your feelings with a stoic attitude, trust your family and reveal the depth of your feelings to them. You will find that they understand your reactions better when they know more about where you are coming from. And you might even find yourself getting more help and support from those around you as you cope with the stress and challenges you face as a member of the Sandwich Generation. So go ahead and have a good cry, you deserve it. And then let a loved one dry your tears and give you a warm, embracing hug.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i just don't get the double standard. When men cry, they're showing their vulnerability, but when women cry they're out of control. I don't like Hillary that much but I think the media is not being fair to her.

10:49 PM  
Blogger Pete said...

I'm old enough to remember when Ed Muskie shed a few tears in New Hampshire during his brief presidential run. The issue was mean-spirited abuse of his wife in a New Hampshire newspaper that was, in those days, a nasty mouthpiece for the far Right. With the tears, however, Muskie's campaign was over. Done. Through. Finito.

Even for folks who didn't believe what they read in the Manchester Union-Leader, the rule was simple, inflexible and absolute: Men don't cry. Those that do, the "reasoning" went, are sissies, unfit to lead. End of story. No exceptions.

I really thought the world had changed enough since 1972 that we wouldn't hear another story like Muskie's, but here we are. Of course, it's more complicated now. The Hillary-haters (and there are a lot of them) seem to say that Hillary is either a heartless, Iron Lady type (no tears) or a hopeless weakling (tears).

Is it possible for voters (and news outlets for that matter) to look at her just as a presidential candidate? Apparently not.

I probably wouldn't vote for Hillary, by the way, but this flap over her getting caught experiencing human emotion is a sorry commentary on the State of America in 2008.

6:56 AM  

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