What was it like being Michael Jackson's kid?“I think it must have been a little bit of heaven mixed in with a little bit of hell. From all reports of people that knew and spent time with the little family, Michael Jackson was always praised for his abilities as a great father but I have to be honest and say that I can see some problems that are impossible to ignore which tell a somewhat different story. I recently answered a question that asked whether I would have wanted to be Michael Jackson during his most famous period and my answer started with a strong “absolutely not”. I would probably give the same answer if asked whether I’d want to have been one of his children. Here’s why:
All three of his children were almost completely isolated from the world-meaning other children were not a daily part of their lives-not even for celebrations like birthdays or similar occasions. Michael Jackson always stated very clearly and strongly that he wanted his children to enjoy “normal” childhoods; he didn’t want them to grow up in any fashion like he did. Yet, in the end there were a lot of similarities between their experiences.
There is an excellent book out called Remember The Time. It’s written by two of Jackson’s bodyguards who watched over the family of Michael and his three children from the end of 2006-late 2008. They describe the loneliness that was apparent in the household during these years. Michael had been severely affected by his four month child molestation trial despite the fact that he was found innocent on all ten counts. He was always very protective of his children but in the last years of his life after the trial he became drug-addled and paranoid about the safety of his children. He was worried about everything from kidnapping to an alligator eating his children up on his Neverland property. He had them wear disguises whenever they went out with him in public and when he wasn’t with them was the only time they could be free to play in a park playground or attend a movie in a public theater. He had entrusted his children’s safety to the two aforementioned bodyguards.
Michael grew up isolated from other children and only had his brothers and sisters for childhood company. He created the same environment for his own children despite the fact that he wanted to provide them with an entirely different scenario.
I also feel that after the 2005 trial, Michael’s children never had a permanent roof over their heads and lived a very nomadic life. This must have been quite upsetting for them. They lived in close to ten different residences from 2005 until their father’s passing in 2009. The places would vary greatly-going from five-star hotels to living in a basement of a family friend. I believe it is very important for a child to have a stable living environment and unfortunately Michael Jackson was unable to provide that during the years after they left Neverland.
I also believe that it must be awful for the children to be bombarded by the nasty press and the FALSE allegations that follow Michael Jackson around even ten years after his death. It’s one thing to be an outraged fan but imagine what it would be like to hear your father, and in this case, the children’s only parent called the worst possible names and instead of being able to grieve the tenth anniversary of their father’s death and celebrate his life and amazing accomplishments they are, once again, going to court to protect their father’s legacy and good name.
So I’ve now covered a lot of the hell they had to endure as the children of Michael Jackson so it’s time to counter that with some heavenly moments. I think it must have been wonderful to have such an enlightened, creative, fun and funny, kind, intelligent and loving man for a parent. I don’t think Michael could have been more of an advocate for his children’s education and I don’t think he could have loved them any more unconditionally than he did. It must have been wonderful to know you are that loved.
Michael also tried to give them a real life education by taking them with him all over the world and exposing them to live theater and endless movies. He encouraged them to care about others and they are certainly making their father proud by helping the poor in the ways they do such as Prince carrying on the traditions of “Heal L.A.” a charity started by his father. Paris has also led protests and participated in organizations that fight bigotry of all kinds. I’m sure once Bigi (formerly Blanket) comes of age he will also become a charitable person.
So to sum up-I don’t think it’s ever easy to be the offspring of famous people. You tend to grow up more quickly than others and have to learn to deal with no privacy from birth. But knowing you are greatly loved can make up for some of the negatives associated with this birthright. I think it is very sad that the children had to watch their father suffer greatly during the trial period and through the aftermath of that nightmare. I think Michael did everything he could to hide his pain but there was just too much of it to ignore.
I wish that Michael had allowed his children to attend regular school and had encouraged more of a connection between them and their mothers, especially in Bigi’s case. At least that would have afforded them the opportunity to avoid becoming orphans after his passing.
But I’m also really glad that he instilled in them the importance of having a kind heart and giving soul. I’m glad for the time they had living at Neverland. I’m glad he was the kind of father who squatted down to his children’s eye level before he’d tell them “I love you more”. I guess Paris summed it up best at her father’s huge memorial when she said he was the best father she could ever have had from the time she was born.
I think that his children are very proud to have had him as their father and they are a testament to his ability to raise three honest, polite, intelligent and successful human beings. Not without problems but with the motivation and stamina to fight the good fight and stay together as a strong and supportive group of siblings”.
Bonnie Bennett, a retired psychologist and Social Worker Writing about Michael Jackson
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