SUMMERKIDS AND TRUMP
Small Summerkids pool where Roxie Forbes drowned due to gross negligence. (Photo: Doug Forbes)
By Elena Matyas
When accused of sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll, Donald Trump’s response was “She’s not my type.”
In response to the tragic death of Heather Heyer during the alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Trump declared “there were very fine people on both sides.”
When confronted with the El Paso shooter’s manifesto reiterating his threat of “invasion” by Latin Americans, Donald Trump pointed to mental illness as the reason for the attack which left 22 dead and 24 injured.
Donald Trump makes a mockery of personal responsibility, respect for law, ethics and downright common decency.
In response to Roxie’s drowning, the owner of the facility responsible for her death said in a message, “This is the first such incident at our camp in more than 40 years of operation.”
That cuts like a knife through my heart. Aside from the fact that we have no idea if it’s true since there is no oversight of day camps in CA, the facility owners have trivialized Roxie’s life. Their statement teaches kids, and our community, to deflect responsibility. Especially the counselors who work for them and the kids who attend the camp.
Part of my job as Roxie’s mom was to teach her to be accountable for her actions. It wasn’t easy, nor was following through on consequences after I set them. But I knew empty threats would lead to irresponsibility and never wanted her to learn that excuses and justifications were a means to avoid responsibility.
Doug and I have accepted accountability for Roxie’s death. We chose to send her to that camp. Not a day passes when we don’t say out loud “We are so, so sorry that we let this happen to you, sweet pie.” We will suffer that responsibility for the rest of our lives.
Shortly after this photo was taken, Roxie started to cry. She didn’t like being in the bottom of the “pile up.” We comforted her and then told her if she was going to play rough, she had to accept what went along with doing so. She acknowledged accountability for her actions.
Why can’t adults do the same?