What a sad, poignant, but beautiful photo (2 of MJ kids)

[Mouse House Mama]

I think it is a very sweet photo. Did anyone else notice that Blanket was holding a MJ doll? It is so sad. Paris seems like a very poised young lady. The boys seem to have their Dad's mannerisms. It is very endearing. I wish them all the best. I feel so bad for them.

 

[4nana]

Thank you for sharing this heartwarming picture of Michael's beautiful children. Bless their hearts, they've loss the only parent they've ever known and my heart breaks for them . Paris did a wonderful job expressing her feelings for her Daddy and no doubt they all loved and will miss him very much . No matter how we may feel about Michael, he was their father, a son, and a brother, and I sympathize with their heartbreaking sad loss. May MJ rest in peace, as his troubled soul is finally at peace. ^i^

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I think it was appropriate for the children to be there. Their father was a public figure. There is no getting around that. They had every right, more than anyone else imho, to be at both memorials.

I made it fine threw the whole thing but, like many others, I lost it when Paris spoke. Why? Because out of all the different roles MJ had during his life to those children the most important one was father. They will never be able to replace him.

All the little girl wanted us to know was that she loved MJ very much and that he was her daddy above all else.

 

[Val]

No matter what others thought of Michael Jackson, how addicted he was, or what good or bad behaviors he may have engaged in, he was those three children's father- and they loved him. This is a very tragic loss for three very beautiful children, they have lost their dear parent. My heart goes out to them, and I hope they find comfort and are taken care of in a loving and peaceful way by the individuals chosen my Michael.

I think the most memorable picture for me, and short video vignette, was the pictures of the children. It really grounded me....the media has spent 12 days rehashing and arguing and re-rehashing this man's life- but in the end, he WAS someone's father, and those three someone's are very, very sad and lonely tonight. May God bless them and keep them safe from the vultures who will soon descend upon them...I know that I will hug my kids a little tighter tonight and the emotions I saw on the Jackson children's faces will make me more carefully think about my life's choices and the impact that a "stupid death" could have on my kids- even if it means slowing down, driving more carefully and eating a little better.

 

[mariezp]

I made it fine threw the whole thing but, like many others, I lost it when Paris spoke. Why? Because out of all the different roles MJ had during his life to those children the most important one was father. They will never be able to replace him.

All the little girl wanted us to know was that she loved MJ very much and that he was her daddy above all else.

Very well said. MJ meant a lot to his fans but that was nothing compared to being a daddy. I, too, did get a lump in my throat and got all misty eyed when Paris cried about her daddy.

 

[mjantz]

Exactly.. I dont remember there being such rude comments about Bindi when she spoke at and attended her fathers memorial.

I recall a bit of talk that her mom (Terri) must have put her up to it. In Terri's book 'My Steve' she mentions that she got flack for that but no one saw Bindi in the days & weeks afterwards & how she pulled deep inside herself to be able to give that speech about her father that she loved so much.

AFA kids at funerals, my kids attended my grandfathers funeral at about the same age as MJs kids. This was someone they were very close to & loved very much. We took it in stages. First they both said they didn't wish to view the body, as was their choice. Then, when they were curious, we talked through it about what they would see in the viewing area & when they both decided to go into the viewing area we held their hands & talked them through it. If both had decided to not go into the viewing area that would have been fine as well. My DS decided he did not want to go up to the casket one last time at the actual service so he didn't.

Kids lose family members every day. Some even suffer through the loss of a parent. And those kids families handle it the best way they can. Thankfully for them they usually don't have the world micro-managing whether or not it was appropriate to take them to the service or let them in the viewing room.

 

[MoniqueU]

He may have been their father but as I said on another thread he had a 48k a MONTH RX habit. How much parenting do you all really think he was doing??? Who was tucking who into bed at night? Some reports have him semi lucid one minute and then an hour later curled up in a fetal position with the shades drawn. I talked to a friend that worked for CPS and said everytime they removed the kids from the homes the kids were pissed at the scocial workers. The ALL loved their parents. I don't doubt MJ's kids love for him. I just don't think he was a fit or even participating parent in their lives. They had one hell of a good nanny and one that also tried to do an intervention on him to no avail.

This guy was no better and in alot of ways much much much worse then anna nicole smith. Do you really think had anna lived she would of been a good mom??? Michael from what I can tell was on a hell of a lot more then she was whats the difference other then he was the worlds biggest performer of all time surpassing all others, this is indisputed. I won't even get into the child molestation allegations which IMHO I think lean a little more towards guilty then some peoples convienient memories want to recall. At one point there was a poll out saying 80 percent of americans believed he did it. Those cases are notoriiously hard to prove but I don't even want to go there.

This was not a great mat, this is really only a great loss to those who loved him way back when before he started undergoing radical physical and psychological changes and in no sense of the word was he a great father.

 

[Macca1111]

That is a beautiful picture.

Touching. BTW - love Janet's shoes!

I had to scroll back up - man those look painful!

 

[daughtersrus]

I agree that this is a touching photo.

I'm not a fan or follower so I didn't watch yesterday but I did get a little chocked up when I hear a news clip of Paris speaking.

On a side note, I know that there's much controversy about the biological parents of these children. I can't help but notice that the skin color of the children is very similar to that of LaToya. Especially in this picture.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Micha...s:/ap/20090707/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson

 

[Stitchfans]

Very beautiful picture of a big sisters love and concern for her brother..May they all find strength in each other in the weeks to come..

Yes, I agree. Those children will need all the strength they can muster up. I hope they are shielded from the hateful comments that some people feel they have to spew out about their dad. Hard enough to lose him but to have to listen to all that hatred.

Scares me how much hate, and contempt some people can have for others when they don't really know the person personally.

 

[bookgirl]

Scares me how much hate, and contempt some people can have for others when they don't really know the person personally.

But on the other hand, it scares me that some people can have such blind devotion and he could do no wrong mentatlity "for others when they don't really know the person personally".

I do think the kids need some protection, but the fact is as a public figure his deeds both good and bad are public record and people form opinons and discuss it.

 

[lisajl]

Thanks for posting that photo. It is beautiful.
I made it through the hour of the memorial without shedding a tear until I heard Paris speak. I lost my dad when I was 15.
For anyone, I don't care who you are, that has lost a parent when they are young, it is heartbreaking. It all came rushing back to me and my youngest son, 12, just handed me kleenex. He knew what I was crying about.
Also, my kids have been to many funerals. I think it is better they know about life and death. I think Paris handled herself well. What I really liked is when she just collapsed into Janets arms. The whole family embracing those kids. I only hope they get to stay with them. I think they will be fine with a close knit family like that.

 

[Mickey527]

I agree that this is a touching photo.

I'm not a fan or follower so I didn't watch yesterday but I did get a little chocked up when I hear a news clip of Paris speaking.

On a side note, I know that there's much controversy about the biological parents of these children. I can't help but notice that the skin color of the children is very similar to that of LaToya. Especially in this picture.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Micha...s:/ap/20090707/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson

I do believe Latoya had some work done too! Her chin didn't look like that when she was younger and she, like Michael had much darker skin.

 

[Stitchfans]

But on the other hand, it scares me that some people can have such blind devotion and he could do no wrong mentatlity "for others when they don't really know the person personally".

I do think the kids need some protection, but the fact is as a public figure his deeds both good and bad are public record and people form opinons and discuss it.

On another hand it also scares me how some people judge others too quickly, and have very little nice to say about a lot of people, again without knowing the person personally.

 

[boltfans]

I can only guess that anyone suggesting that these kids should not have attended this service did not lose a parent as a child. I did. And I would have been extremely resentful of whomever held me back from my father's wake/funeral. It was the hardest thing I've done in my life, but being there to physically grieve with so many people who loved and cared about my father was important. It was truly uplifting to see the outpouring of friends and family who came from all over to attend my father's services and meant so much to me. It made me feel like he was really someone who was loved and respected and in a way that softened the blow of his death. It was like I wasn't alone in my loss, others were affected too, and that helped me get through it. I imagine that, though a much grander scale obviously, his service had the same effect for his kids.

 

[kellyg403]

OP...it is a beautiful shot. I agree that it is a big sister showing comfort to her little brother even though she is also grieving. I did see clips of Paris speaking and the one thing that stood out to me was the end when she was starting to cry and Janet said she is done and held her. I am not a MJ fan, but those kids seem like normal, typical kids who have been shown a lot of love by someone in their lives. And they loved their dad.

I have not lost a parent at a young age, I can't even begin to undertand the loss they and others here have felt. My 15 yo dd was pretty upset about the concert and people buying tickets because someone died. I explained it appeared to be more a celebration of his life and music. She didn't understand that. But it is part of someone dying..celebrating the person you loved in whatever way you can.

I hope that their lives are the best they can be regardless of the fact MJ was their father, who their families are, who their mother was or anything else that is fodder for the gossip pages. I hope they are able to find some peace.

Kelly

 

[Tantor]

I agree with CathrynRose. I feel so bad for the kids.

me too.

 

[redrosesix]

I don't find it touching at all. I wouldn't of even let them attend the public memorial, that is just me. I bet this family is looking at these kids as cash cows now, nothing surprises me with them. I hate to be nasty on the day of someones memorial but I just have a radicaly different view of this and can't keep it to myself.

I got that feeling too, when they were taken up on stage to sing We Are the World -- fine to let the kids speak, but they didn't have to expect them to sing.

I also think it was the kids choice to attend and definately Paris' choice to speak. OMG it brought me to tears hearing her - it brings back the emotions of my BIL's funeral especially since my neice is the same age as Paris. It breaks my heart to see the kids missing their daddy so much. He seemed like he was a really good father to those kids and I can only imagine how hard this is going to be for them.

None of us could know that they wanted to attend, although I agree with you that Paris did choose to speak (looked like it was going to be Janet)

In my opinion, the one thing Michael did right was protect his children from the media. He didn't want them photographed, never mind on international tv. No matter what the child wanted, I think Michael's well known views should have been followed.

I think you're probably right here. However, that could have also been accomplished by making it clear to the cameramen that the children were not to be shown (at least while sitting in their seats) -- they deserve to be given some privacy at a time like this. Even at Princess Diana's funeral (which was actually the funeral), the kids were not shown during or after the service. And those kids were a lot older.

Yes, the agressive paparazzi and media certainly have managed to snag a few shots. I don't think there is any question of their fathers view on the subject.

If he only took one thing seriously in the last several years of his lfe, it was keeping his children out of the public spotlight. This should have been respected.

However the children wanted to participate, it should, of course have taken place at the family's private memorial service, not in front of a crowd of ticket holders a t the Staples Centre.

Good point. This was not the funeral. It was only the first of several memorials that the Jackson family is planning around the world.

I think it was good for the kids to be there, especially given all the nice things said about their Dad. If the service had been a circus - I'd feel differently, but this service was very touching and respectful. As for whether the kids should have been shown publically, according to an interview with Debbie Rowe - she is the one who wanted them covered all the time - not Michael, he just obliged her wishes. Whether or not we should believe her I don't know.

this is incorrect -- he stated on many occasions that he didn't want his kids to be seen -- apparently they just agreed on this. There was no way they could have known exactly how it would turn out -- luckily, it was more subdued than most people expected. They could have watched the memorial on video, or from a private area in the arena (not sure if they had skyboxes there) There is also no way they could have known how the kids would react, especially when hearing their father's voice.

But, it seems like most public memorials in the US do have the kids there eg. 911, the Challenger shuttle. Personally, I don't feel very good about watching a family, especially children, in their very private grief. I don't have an opinion either way on whether the kids should have attended -- I don't know them, I wasn't there when the decision was made. I think it would have been fine and understood if they did not attend the public memorial. I just feel they should have been given more privacy. But if they were my kids, I would definitely have them attend the funeral and the wake -- it's always hard, but it is something that helps people move on after the death of a loved one.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

I didn't watch, but just read that Joe Jackson was on Good Morning America this morning...


Meanwhile, Joe Jackson told ABC that he and his wife, Katherine, should have custody of Michael's three children. "They'll grow up to be strong Jacksons," he said. He said Michael's daughter, Paris, who spoke at the Tuesday memorial service, was taking the death hard and was crying whenever Michael's name is mentioned. He said that she might have a future in the entertainment business along with the youngest son, nicknamed Blanket, who "can really dance."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090710/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_investigation


I really hope he doesn't get his hands on those kids.

 

[redrosesix]

I didn't watch, but just read that Joe Jackson was on Good Morning America this morning...


Meanwhile, Joe Jackson told ABC that he and his wife, Katherine, should have custody of Michael's three children. "They'll grow up to be strong Jacksons," he said. He said Michael's daughter, Paris, who spoke at the Tuesday memorial service, was taking the death hard and was crying whenever Michael's name is mentioned. He said that she might have a future in the entertainment business along with the youngest son, nicknamed Blanket, who "can really dance."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090710/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_investigation


I really hope he doesn't get his hands on those kids.

ITA! Blech!