Today author Jacquelyn Frank put up an..interesting..blog post. Apparently she’s having some personal problems and felt the need to share her side of it with the interwebs. Fair enough. She’s an adult and can post whatever she wants on her blog, right? Right.
Her mother never thanks me. In fact, she treats the whole thing like…I don’t know. Like her kid’s a whore and has to earn her keep by pimping herself out to me. Like I’m her sugar daddy.
But then, I’m an adult and I can post whatever I want on my blog, too. And I have to say, Shame on you, Jacquelyn Frank. Shame on you. Calling a 10 year old child a whore seems a little over the top. So does saying she’ll be a mother by 16 and dead of a drug overdose by 18. Saying you “failed” as a parent, when you obviously aren’t one, then going on to say it’s not really your fault, but the real mother’s, well…Shame on you again.
And now, when it comes down to it, the person who is going to pay for it is B. I let her down. I’ve failed as a parent. She’ll be pregnant at 16 and dead of a drug overdose at 18. All this time I was fighting to keep sugar and dye out of her diet, I should have been fighting for…I don’t know. Something else. I just don’t know.
Look, I’m sorry that Jacquelyn Frank is going through a rough time. I’m sorry she’s in a position where someone might be taking advantage of her. I’m sorry, too, that a young girl is being put in the middle of something she shouldn’t be.
But even more? I’m sorry Jacquelyn Frank felt the need to share this with the world on her blog. Because really, some things should be kept private. Especially things having to do with a 10year old child.
Authors, please. As I recently said on twitter: There’s a line between sharing and sharing too much. Don’t cross it.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw her post early this morning. Just….WOW.
The only thing I can say is “ditto.”
I’m appalled, disgusted, and dumbfounded that anyone would post something like this. Especially about a child.
@KMont – I saw all her status updates on Facebook the last few days and thought those were bad. Wow is right.
It sounded like a pretty heartbreaking situation. Just sounds sad and that, more than anything else, is what I’m left feeling. Ugh.
I just read her very confusing post. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the little girl she was taking care of doesn’t want to be with her anymore and has said she doesn’t love her?
@KB – I’m not entirely sure what the point of the post was, but that did seem to be the gist of it.
I feel sorry for this child caught in the middle of two adults, her mother and JF the “godmother”, who are suppose to be looking out for her.
It sounds like they all need some serious help. Very sad situation.
This is a ten year old girl we’re talking about here. Whatever she says, she’s ten.
I think that people often say and do things they shouldn’t when they are in pain.
I don’t read her books and I’ve never visited her blog today, but I get the impression that she doesn’t have much of a social life away from the internet. I agree that it’s inappropriate, but I’m wondering if maybe she just doesn’t know any better, like maybe she sees her readers as her “real” friends (forgetting that her blog is a public forum and not truly “her space” as she thinks) and therefore feels okay sharing personal things.
Either way it’s sad. 🙁
Jennifer
a) the post has been taken down
b) I am sure that there are legions of private citizens who share more (worse?) in their own little corners of the intrawebs with little outcry–but then, there is a difference between Jane Nobody sharing what she oughtn’t, and Published Author X (or Important Executive Z, or Head of Commercial Firm Y, or… fill in the blank here) doing the same: there are more chances of having people who know the latter in real life–and therefore will know exactly who that child is, now and forever more–than an anonymous little blog that only one or two people ever read.
Mind, that does not justify the lack of judgement and caution, but it explains why countless other people keep doing such things (i.e., haven’t faced the same consequences Ms Frank just did)
Either way, unknown nobody or famous personage, it’s always smarter not to hit “send” until after calming down–give it a day or a week, see if you really are prepared to share your innermost conflicts (and out innocents right along with you). Chances are you’ll refrain.
Oh man. By the time I have read this post by Holly, the post by Jacquelyn Frank has been removed, so I didn’t get to read it.
I haven’t ever read Ms. Franks books but I did get the chance to meet her last year at the RT convention and this year at RT.
I just add this to the discussion to throw in my two cents. Even though it sounds like Jackie got WAY to personal with her blog – to the point where it made reader’s uncomfortable, she has been known to share with readers a part of herself that is inspirational and it is on a personal level.
Between last year and this year I saw a woman transformed to the point I did not recognize her. She went from being an obese woman whose only means of transporation was a motorized scooter or cane and looking at least 60 years old to a young vibrant 30 something woman bouncing up on stage in high heels no less.
At RT this year, she shared a very inspirational talk one morning that had everyone in tears. It was about her struggle with becoming a published author and how people believed in her and took chance on her. She also talked about how she managed to lose over a hundred pounds in a year.
I just wanted to share this with you so that people keep in mind that we are all fallable. We make mistakes. So please don’t think less of Jackie because she made a poor choice of a blog topic. She is and will continue to be an inspiration to a lot of people, me included.
We all could easily cross that line one day. It is a fine one. If you head back over to her blog, she has posted an apology.
Okay, I’ll shut up now…