It’s been a long and draining election cycle, and I don’t think any of us could have expected the result that we saw today. For many of us with young children, you probably woke up this morning asking yourself, “How am I supposed to explain this to my children?”
I, Melania Trump, am asking myself the same thing.
How can any of us metabolize what happened to a ten-year-old? Should I be honest and let him know just how bad things are, or do I let him enjoy his childhood, his innocence a little while longer? How much longer can we pretend the bathroom door lock is “broken” while Donald is stuck in there?
Many of us are concerned about how our sons will learn to treat women in this dangerous, sexist climate. In the case of my son, the nation’s biggest tragedy since 9/11 just told him to stop being a pussy.
How am I supposed to explain that our next president is a bully, and also his father?
And how do I explain to my son that our next president is a man who intimidatingly looked over at my ballot, just to make sure I was still voting for him? Should I remind my son that this man is a terrible role model and his behavior unacceptable, just like I’ve been quietly whispering to him for his entire short life?
And when he gets older, how am I supposed to tell them how this all began? That their father admitted to sexual assault, never shared his tax returns, was endorsed by the KKK, and still somehow weaseled his way into the presidency without even winning the popular vote? I used to believe that this country was an equal playing field where anyone can make it with hard work, but now I’m not so sure. I hate that my son has to come of age in such a time of uncertainty and also have blood relation to the cause of it all.
What am I supposed to tell my only son about the loud, nasty man on TV who insults immigrants while hiring thousands of them, including me, his wife? Do I need to tell him anything at all when he is on the TV standing right next to that man?
It seems like it’s always on the tip of my tongue these days; that “Donald Trump is a bad man.” But I can’t bring myself to tell him. Mostly because a man said he’d “send me back to Slovenia” if I did. But in my heart, I am concerned for the future of our country. I’m concerned for the world my son has to grow up in, and that his father is the next leader of the free world.
What have we done?
