Really, how do you suppose Tripp Palin will feel when he gets older and learns he was taken all over the place and put on TV as the example of the big "mistake" his other made and why other young girls shouldn't make the same one? I KNOW this is going to be taken by some as an "attack" on Sarah Palin's child who should be off-limits but this has nothing to do with Sarah anymore except for the fact she is the mother of the face of the "abstinence only" campaign and the grandmother of the "poster-child" for "what not to do". Bristol made her own decision to represent organization and it's certainly her right to do so but does anyone else feel sorry for that poor baby and wonder how he'll feel several years from now? It could very well seem to him like his mother sat and held him on her lap as she told people if they did as she did instead of what she said they could also get stuck with a baby like him!
Annie
[question posted by anniepa]responses and comments:
I never really thought about it that way but I guess you could be right. It's hard to tell how the children of politicians feel, especially failed politicians. It would be interesting to do a special on Sarah Palin's kids about ten years from now and see what kind of impact their mothers' campaign and the media battles had on them. [opalina143]
I guess whether Palin could be called a "failed politician" would depend on one's definition of failed. She WAS a part of a ticket that failed and some believe she lost them many more votes than she gained them. She DID have a very high approval rating in her state until the rest of the country got to know her and she decided she didn't have to stay home very much to take care of her state's business. Do you think Sarah is behind Bristol's new activism regarding abstinence? I think when she campaigned pulling her oldest son in his wagon that was only in the tiny town of Wasilla. That can hardly be compared to traveling the country as the V.P. candidate. Annie [anniepa]
I'm sure if Tripp sees any of the Abstinence campaign footage or interviews once he's older, it's going to have a negative emotional effect on him. Bristol has talked about how she had to give up her dream of attending college outside of Alaska...so he can feel blamed for that. I keep seeing the word "hypocracy" though in the articles and blogs I come across about this campaign. It seems that the general view among the very people this campaign is trying to reach...teens...see her as an *as if* joke...*as if* I'm gonna take advice about abstinence from an unwed, single mother would couldn't manage to follow it herself. I'm sorry, I don't care whose kid she is...she's an adult woman sitting on the wrong panel right now. She would be more effective, and look less like the puppet controlled by her mother that she is, if she were actively supporting comprehensive birth control education. Then she could say in all truth and honesty that abstinence does not work and, if she had been encouraged to be informed and to protect herself, and had been on the Pill, the patch or the Depo shot, she'd be planning for her future education at a university somewhere instead of being at home with a baby and in the center of a fight between two families that is hurting a lot of people. [spalladino]
I have a problem with people insinuating that teenagers are incapable of controlling their sexual desires. They can control themselves if they just would. Unfortunately, too many things in our world today tell these teens that sex is the way to go. They're expected to behave this way otherwise they're laughed at or belittled. Then we help them with this bad behavior by making them believe that a condom is all it takes to make casual sex OK and safe. A condom will help, but it's not full proof. Both parents, as a team, need to talk with their children about sex and warn them about the dangers of bad sexual habits. Animals may not be able to wait, but people can. [6precious102]
I certainly agree with you on this subject. I think that is one decision that any mother will regret. I hate any form of children being exploited but to have a mother declare nationwide that her child was a mistake and that she is stuck with him was unnecessarily cruel. However I feel sorry for the child to be labeled as unwanted and believe she will regret it when the child is older. [whiteheather39]
Here is a quote of what Bristol told People Magazine: "Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex. Think about the consequences. If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex. Trust me. Nobody." http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280071,00.html Annie [anniepa]
I heard someone the other day sum it all up well about Palin they said something like, listening to her about abstinence is like listening to someone tell you not to smoke pot while lighting up a joint. I really hope that this child never has to see any of these interviews. But, honestly she's running around preaching abstinence and getting paid what really is that teaching kids? Get pregnant only if you can make a buck off of it? [ZephyrSun]
Good point, Zeph! She could say it worked out well for her because now she can make money exploiting her baby but most young girls aren't the daughter of somebody rich and famous nor will they be invited to be the paid ambassador for doing the opposite of what they did! Annie [anniepa]
Is he being paraded around as a mistake? I haven't seen it. Thank god the Obama girls won't have to be punished with a baby! I wonder when they hear that how they feel? [irishidid]
Bristol said she was "taken out of context" when it was pointed out that she'd said several months ago that abstinence only isn't "realistic". I saw that interview and I don't see how she can now claim it was taken out of context. However, what Obama said about being "punished with a baby" WAS, in my opinion, taken out of context since many people tried to claim he was talking about abortion when he was actually talking about sex education and birth control. The Obama girls were never said to have been "mistakes" themselves. It's certainly implied that Tripp Palin was. Annie [anniepa]
I feel sorry for the boy, not only for what you have stated but his given name "Tripp", I can just hear the other kids taunting him saying "Hey Man, that was a trip", when things go wrong. There are some stupid given names out there and this is one of them. [iriscot]
I always wanted to name a boy Radley Chance. Even my name is still considered unusual although you hear it more often than you used to. [irishidid]
I saw Britol on GMA Wednesday, and she had a canned statement, and didn't go off of it. When she was asked about the hypocracy of a women who said last year the abstinence is not realistic (yet to day is being paid by an organization to preach abstinence), and is now telling girls that abstinence is the only way. All she said is that abstinence is the best way. I am sure her mother would be so proud of her staying on plan, not answering questions, and just sitting there smiling (just like her mommy does). The only thing she is a poster-child for is hypocracy, and what is wrong with this country. I have no problem with someone getting paid for talking about a subject, but why go on a show and only answer the questions you want to answer. I do feel very sorry for that poor little baby, he is growing up in one messed up family, that uses everything and everyone for their own personal and political needs. [thegreatdebater]
"this may actually make girls want to have a child because they see how good it can end up for you." It's funny you say this since the other Palin bashers on this thread keep accusing her of using him as a prop for how horrible it is to be a pregnant teen. [Taskr36]
You just can't help yourself can you Annie? I think you're going beyond obsessed when it's not only her children, but her grandchildren that you can't stop talking about. My brother was a mistake as many kids are. It's not that big a deal. I don't think Tripp will feel horrible when he learns that. It certainly didn't change how my brother or anyone else I've known that was a "mistake" felt about themselves. For the record she has made it clear several times that she is happy to have him and her only wish is that she could have had him later. I'm sure Obama's mother felt the same way since she was only 18 when he was born. At least Bristol's not saying she was "punished" with a child. [Taskr36]
"Taskr, you DID call me a "LIAR" in another discussion; that particular post is now gone for some reason." I can't address this claim if you can't prove it Annie. "You can't deny you've been on the defensive about Palin practically since the day she was introduced." How could I not be when 90% of the attacks on her and her family were based on lies? I've heard everything on these forums from her being a racist who hates eskimos, to her interfering with the investigation into Levi Johnston's mother, to her having a 428 on her SAT, etc. The list goes on so long my fingers would fall off if I tried to cover it all now. Sine the election you've done everything you could to dig up anything there was to smear her with. You start threads dedicated to bashing her and her family, cheer on the people with the foulest comments, and get horribly offended when I set the record straight. You have given up on any hope of using valid sources and I can't remember the last time you cited a source that wasn't a blog like DailyKOS or ThinkProgress. Anytime I disagree with you I'll say it and when you lie, or mislead people, I'm going to say it. Spall wants to talk about intimidation and censorship. Well guess what? I'm not going to be intimidated into not responding. Some people just love to attack me and rate me down to keep me from responding to their attacks. It didn't work for them and it won't work for anyone else. [Taskr36]
I would not know what to think. I would be upset if Sarah Palin had aborted the baby. I mean it must be hard to care for a child with Down Syndrome and it would not be right to lock him in a closet. ARe you saying she should have been ashamed of him? As for Bristol, I would think her mother told her time and time again to come home at a decent hour, and when she found out she was pregnant, went up and down on her for her bad behavior, but of course, they would not say that on Tv because it would be too upsetting. [suspenseful]
I'm not discussing Sarah's youngest child TRIG but Bristol's baby TRIPP. Of course I'm not saying anyone should ever be "ashamed" of any baby! If you'd like to READ the discussion and comment again I'd love to know what you think about the actual topic. Annie [anniepa]
I don't know. He might not think anything about it ..... until someone like you brings it up. [piasabird]
Well Irish, I wasn't going to comment any further on this subject but I decided it might be necessary. My sister was 3 1/2 years old when my father left our family right before Christmas and went back to his mother in Mississippi. I was in the hopper at that time and was born on the following March in the year of 1929. So, I was a depression baby without a father. My mother worked in a shoe factory that was like a sweatshop, she worked Monday thru Saturday and didn't bring home much of a wage. There were times when there wasn't enough food for the three of us and she would say that she had something to eat on the way home from work. We had no car so she walked to and from work in all kinds of weather. In the summer time during school vacations I stayed with my grandfather, other times my aunts and uncles took me under their wing. It's no fun when you see other kids going places, such as major league ballgames with their fathers. I had to adopt fathers, like my basketball coach in grade school and my football coach in high school. They didn't know that I adopted them but I worked hard to do what they asked. Unless your have been there, I don't think you have the right to make comments such as: 15 year olds don't care about such things. Unless that young lady straightens up and find a good husband that boy is going to miss out on something very important, and that's the guidance and companionship that a father brings to a son. [iriscot]
Hey annie! You know, I wonder if this dumb azz has even taken one single minute of time to give any thought to what her child might feel years from now! And has no one in her stupid azz family, like her moron mother given her advice, never mind, I know the answer to that one! That poor child probably hasn't even been considered! She is ignorant! She doesn't even know what she is doing! She is a hypercrit and is one day going to deeply regret everything she is saying when her son comes to her and asks her that question about why she didn't really want him! And the father has no say because he is a weak wuss and is scared to fight for his child! They are really pathetic! That whole family is a mess! The Palins are the perfect example of what not to be like in bringing up any children at all! [Opal26]
Opal..... Wow. I was going to stay out of this thread because I thought it was trivial to the state of things right now, but I just HAD to stop in after reading your well thought out and incredibly insightful comment. You so intuitively managed to articulate some very intelligent points, your political prowess has been a shining example to us all. [xfahctor]
Nice gestures on Mothers Day,My grand daughters are 13,20,26 they admire Bristol Palin who has became a responsible teenage mother,they all three wish Bristol great success in raising her son. My three daughters all mothers them self like Sarah and Bristol a great deal so I guess it all depends on who your talking to. I listen to one interview with Bristol Palin she said her son is a blessing and the love of her life. One thing for certain Bristol's child will not be one of them children that are mistreated hit,slapped,cussed,burns with cigarettes,etc,Tripp has a caring and loving family and he is one very blessed little boy. The parents will work out their differences in time just like millions of couples do year in and year out and have all of our life times like popcorn machines. Levi's mother as Annie has pointed out when the news broke is a drug addict and a looser so If that is true I can understand why Bristol has concerns that Tripp is not left in the care of Levi Johnson and his mother who I think is still facing legal problems over her drug bust late last year. Bristol's child will not be housed and feed by the taxpayers of the United States for the next twenty-one years nor will the tax payers be paying for his medical,dental care until he is of age. Bristol Palin is doing what she believes she needs to do,her love and nurturing of her son will over ride anything she may have said when he was six months old,children are very forgiving. Bristol has her infant son with her during these interviews he is a luck little boy zillions of newborns go from the womb to warehousing(Day Cares)8-10 hours a day 5-6 day's a week where other people raise them until they are old enough to stay home alone while their parents work. I do not feel sorry for Tripp Palin he is one very blessed little boy born into a big family that loves and adores him without out question. Happy Mother's Day Rose [kennyrose]
I think most of us wish Bristol the best in raising her son, Rose. Certainly nobody here that I'm familiar with would be wishing either of them any ill will. I really don't have any clue what this discussion has to do with child abuse or welfare. It's about whether or not an innocent baby is being exploited for monetary gain and a political agenda. I was merely interested in how others felt about that. I suppose I should have known it wouldn't be well-received here in Palin-Land where anything some of us say about Sarah or anyone related to her is seen as a vicious and totally unfair attack. Since you brought up the fact that Tripp will never be supported by taxpayers or put in daycare I'd like to bring up the many other young girls who, like Bristol, failed to practice abstinence, sometimes failed to use birth control and chose to have and keep their babies but UNLIKE Bristol have had no choice other than relying on welfare for a time and/or placing their babies in daycare. Everyone isn't blessed with a large, loving family with lots of money. Regarding Levi's mother, I know I posted about her drug arrest. If I jumped to the wrong conclusions about her I'm sorry but since I've seen her interviewed on several shows now I realize there may be more to it than what the news reports let on. As a grandmother I feel terrible for her not being able to see her only grandchild when she wants to. I realize that if I say I find the Johnston's to be credible and likable it's going to be taken to mean "the Palin's are liars!" The fact is none of us know who is telling the truth about why Levi and his family aren't "allowed" to see Tripp without supervision. Annie [anniepa]
Has Taskr set a new record, I counted and he's made responses FOURTEEN time on this comment. This comment will probably bump it up at least another 5 or 6 times. Just wondering!Let's see, someone commented that Obam's mother married after 3 months of delivering him. Is Tripp going to have a real father, it's been 4 months now? This discussion started out about Bristol's son and somehow Obama's name came up. Maybe the experts on the board would like to bring up the fact that John McCain was running around with his present wife while he was still married to his first wife. Now, I admire a lot of what John stands for but people on this board fail to remember his infidelity. Sorry that I brought John into this Annie, but some people just don't get it. [iriscot]
"Has Taskr set a new record, I counted and he's made responses FOURTEEN time on this comment. This comment will probably bump it up at least another 5 or 6 times." In all fairness to Taskr, I have 16 responses in this thread right now...17 after I post this and 18 after I respond to Taskr back on Page 1. I may break 20! I really don't see any problem with a back and forth debate...especially since I'm often involved in them. wink [spalladino]
Personally any political family and their children go through heck. Look what poor Chelsea went through or Carter's daughter. I really don't think the media or any of us should have made an huge event of this for that reason. What about when Tripp grows up. How is going to feel about the fact that his birth was world wide news and up for public debate?What about his rights to privacy as an individual. I don't think celebrity's kids should be exploded for a news story either. Family and kids should be off limits. As for how the Palin's feel. Well all I hear is that Bristol says she loves her son but that she wishs to had waited til she was older to have him. Which is something I think a lot of younge moms feel and I have heard a few say. It does not mean they love them any less. Just means they wished they had waited til they were more mature and better situated in life to be able to handle parenthood mentally, emotionally and fiancially. [lilwonders456]
Some of you act like this is the first baby ever to be born out of wedlock, or by a teenager. God the girl made a mistake, will she because she is sarah Palin's daughter be punished for it for the rest of her life. As I read through the responses I can't tell if you got something against the girl or her mother. I am sure what she though back months ago and what is happening and her thinking now that she has the baby is a total different thing. What I see her doing is showing other teen girls that if they believed the way she did back then, this is what you get out of your thinking. Does it make it that much more important that she is governor Palin's daughter, from what I saw of the family, it is a very ordinary family, they have their ups and downs the same as the rest of the people in this USA. I think he will be brught up to know that he is loved and that no matter what she is not sorry that she had him only that it would of been better had she waited. I saw Obama say that he would not want his daughters punished with a baby if they got pregnant, to me that meant go out lay down get pregnant and we will just do away with it. At least Palin told her daughter you got pregnant now deal with it, she is a young girl, she made a mistake, I think most are so obsesses with the hatred for Palin that they sit and wait for anything bad they see on Tv or read in the news. I don't think Palin lost any votes for McCain and where I am from, most voted for him because of her. Seems a lot of women are jealous of her because she went out and done what she wanted, become what she wanted, instead of sitting at home on the couch. So now it doesn[t matter what side the daughter is on, someone wants to make sure the son is told as soon as he is ready to understand that he is a mistake and wasn't wanted. How cruel some people are they can only think of bad things to bring down upon a child. Like I said seems like a loving ordinary family, other than her being governor. And I'm sure the love that will be shown over the years will let him know even though he wasnt' planned he is loved more than he can imagine. Some of you people need to get a life and get off Sarah Palin and her family. [bdugas]
I was going to stay awway from this thread, honestly, it doesn't even belong in the politics section, maybe in life or parenting, but it isn't remotely political. And second, it borders on unessesary smearing. But after reading many of the responses I felt I had to stop in and call people to the mat on some of the disgusting and out right childish things I saw being posted, you know who you are, shame on all of you. [xfahctor]
I'm kind of used to the "let's shoot the messenger" bit around here. It doesn't belong in politics? I guess that point could be debated but it involves the child of a political figure and it involves an issue that has been made political whether it should be or not. I'd hardly call is unnecessary smearing since Bristol was the one to make the decision to appear on all the morning shows to promote abstinence, something she herself had called "unrealistic" not that long ago. Annie [anniepa]
I think it's an embarassment to her. Why in the world would she be running around teaching abstinence only, when it clearly doesn't work??!! I do feel sorry the baby, he'll know what his life started out like. Poor little guy. [bonbon664]
I think that if the poor kid can survive that ridiculous name, he can probably survive anything. LOL [irisheyes]
Kids will find a way to make fun of even normal names. I went through high school being called "Banana Vanilla" because it rhymed with my real name. lol Moon Unit turned out normal. Pretty much. [irishidid]
He might feel happy his mother decided to give birth to him rather than kill him the way so many teenage mothers-to-be are encouraged to do. And I wouldn't be surprised if his mother tells him that he is not the mistake but her having sex before marriage was the mistake. And I don't doubt that he will be so loved by the whole Palin family that nothing else will matter. [bestboy19]
I understand that Bristol is young but she is the one who went against her mother to say that abstinance doesn't work and now that she had her baby all of a sudden she is for abstinance? I think it is more like her mother is going to do everything she can to look better for her political career and she pushed her daughter to publicly change her mind. As far as her baby goes, it is sad whenever a child is brought into the world when the parents are not together. It is going to be harder on him because of the public eye being on them. I am sure that Sarah Palin's fifteen minutes of fame will be over by the time her grandson is in preschool so hopefully he will have a better life then. I think that Bristol made a mistake but I guess she wants to be a good daughter. [NuttyMomma]
It's presumptuous of you to say Bristol's change is due to pressure from her mother. I think it more likely Bristol realized she made a mistake and wanted to try and help other kids not make the same one. Nothing to do with her mom's career but with her own convictions. She realized she should have listened to her parents, because abstinence would have worked if she had embraced it. Saying that abstinence doesn't work is ludicrous. [clrumfelt]
It is up to the parents to make sure their children grow up feeling special and loved whether they are the product of a perfect family situation or of a less than ideal one. Tripp will probably grow up knowing a loving family and probably learn the lessons they are trying to teach about abstinence, and not because he is a "poster boy" for the campaign, but because he will be surrounded by family members who will teach him. A loving family can help overcome a world of hurt for a child, especially something that happened even before he was born. In such a context, it probably won't impact his life that much. [clrumfelt]
Ted, how have I gotten nasty? Again, this isn't about Sarah Palin. Annie [anniepa]
I'm sure there will be heartless boors continuing to stoop as low as they can to keep up the media inspired lies about Sarah Palin. The constant attack is living proof that the Women's movement has nothing to do with women at all. Liberalism abhors free thought or individuality... especially from women. Quite holding her down so the media can continue to rape her. [ParaTed2k]
Is there something in this post that could be considered "media inspired lies about Sarah Palin"? It's not even about Sarah, so I don't see how it could be. I don't understand what this has to do with the women's movement or liberalism, either. Should the media have refused to put Bristol on the air? Annie [anniepa]
I assume that Tripp is the daughter's kid, not the governor. The father has stated to the news that he has been refused access to see his son. And that is a shame.. [General_Spacey]
Levi's plight is not just his. There are millions of fathers who either rarely or never hear from their kids at all. LEVI SHOULD HAVE REASONABLE VISITATION RIGHTS. Yet, the govornor is helping to deny the father of her grandchild his rights. That is a shame. [General_Spacey]
Yeah ha I never though of that. He will hopefully be able to keep everything in perspective though. Maybe if he turns out very attarctive that might help haha. What about other celeb babies too that will probably learn one day they were more famous when they were in the womb than they are now ha. I wish I could think of some but I know their are some. [csrobins]
on "I love lucy" her "kid" was famous before birth, but rarely did anything afterwards. [General_Spacey]
Well, my daughter was born out of wedlock, and I would never have dreamed in a million years of putting her in that position. I think a lot about kids who are put in the public eye without asking to be there, for all kinds of reasons, though. But I definitely would not insinuate my child was a mistake, publicly or privately. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. And a lot of kids whose parents are married weren't planned, either! Maybe Bristol feels a special responsibility, feels bad about this going on right at the point when her mom was chosen for a v.p. candidate. And she doesn't know what to do about it. . .I feel for her, too. [CremeAndSugar]
I was a pregnant 17 year old myself years ago and I also would never call my daughter a mistake or an unfortunate consequence. I feel for Bristol as well. I don't doubt that she loves her son very much or that she's doing her best to be a good mother, which I'm sure she is. I don't think she's doing this to hurt him, I really don't. I just don't think she's thinking it through before giving interviews and going on TV to promote abstinence. Annie [anniepa]