Always to Blame


Some families have one child who is blamed for everything that goes wrong. 
Sometimes a certain blame is valid, sometimes it isn’t. 

But if a family falls apart because of one child, something may be wrong with the adults in that family. 

Remember Annetta? That poor, sweet girl was always to blame for everything wrong in her family, according to her mother. 
But the mother was the one to blame, not Annetta. And the father was too weak to stand up to his mean wife.

Now, every child needs some correction, but seldom can a child ruin a family without neglect or abuse from the adults. 
If you are being blamed for your family’s difficult life, be suspicious about who is really to blame. 
Speak privately to a nice relative who defends you when you are being blamed for stuff. 

And a child should not be blamed for a bio-parents’ divorce. 

So, how did Annetta’s life turn out? You write the end to that story. 
If Annetta’s story turned out happy, Annetta had to decide that she wasn’t to blame for every problem in her family. 
Annetta had to decide that she could be a nice, helpful, competent person who could be a useful person in a family, 
and even have a family of her own, 
And Annetta had to decide she could be a happy wife and a cheerful mother in a home where everyone felt loved. 
And being a girl, she had to decide that a man would think she was pretty. 
And I think Annetta was capable of all those things.

Eric J. Rose 
middlegrademysteries.com 
photo: theatlantic.com 
(I’m curious who this family is.) 
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