Bilingual commentary: A Father, a Daughter and Two Broken Hearts

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By David Magallanes • Guest contributor

David Magallanes

We’ve all heard of, or witnessed, or—God forbid—been part of a collapse in the relationship between a father and his daughter. It happens in challenged families and in privileged families—even in royal families.

During the run-up to the royal wedding last May between Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, there was embarrassing turmoil emanating from within Meghan’s family that laid bare, for all the world to see, the breakdown of the endearing relationship that Meghan once had with her father. The heartbreaking tumult continues to this day. Other members of the family have obviously contributed to Meghan’s grief, but we’ll focus on the father’s behavior.

Mr. Markle publicly laments that Meghan had excised him from her life despite that he made her what she is today. Which is likely true, but this claim begs for context.

It may be true that Meghan’s father had given her a good home and a solid education, as he claims. But when a daughter, who appears to have had it all—including a father who doted on her and molded her into a successful young woman—turns around and stonewalls and puts an ocean between herself and that father, we have to ponder her motivation. Mr. Markle claims that the Royal Family is trying to silence him. However, he has openly mocked and criticized Meghan’s new family, which some might view as the new “telling it like it is [at any cost].”

If Mr. Markle were truly interested in overhauling his relationship with his daughter, he would refrain from heckling her new family, look within and ask how his comportment, as righteous as he makes it out to be, might be impeding and rendering impossible the very thing he seeks.

— David Magallanes is a writer, speaker and professor of mathematics.

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Dos Corazones Rotos

Por David Magallanes • Columnista invitado

Todos hemos oído hablar de, o atestiguado, o—Dios no lo quiera—hemos formado parte de un colapso en la relación entre un padre y su hija. Sucede en familias con problemas y en familias privilegiadas—incluso en familias reales.

Desde antes de la boda real en mayo pasado entre el príncipe Harry y la actriz estadounidense Meghan Markle, hubo turbulencias embarazosas que surgieron de la familia de Meghan que pusieron al descubierto, para que todo el mundo viera, la ruptura de la entrañable relación que Meghan tuvo una vez con su padre. El tumulto desgarrador continúa hasta el día de hoy. Otros miembros de la familia obviamente han contribuido al dolor de Meghan, pero nos enfocaremos en el comportamiento del padre.

El Sr. Markle se lamenta públicamente de que Meghan lo había excluido de su vida a pesar de que él la había transformado en lo que es hoy. Lo cual a la mejor es cierto, pero esta declaración exige que le demos contexto.

Puede ser que el padre de Meghan le había dado un buen hogar y una educación sólida, como él dice. Pero cuando una hija, que parece haberlo tenido todo, incluido un padre que se enamoró de ella y la convirtió en una joven bastante exitosa, le da la espalda al padre y pone un océano entre él y ella, tenemos que reflexionar sobre su motivación. El Sr. Markle afirma que la Familia Real está tratando de silenciarlo. Sin embargo, él se ha burlado y criticado abiertamente a la nueva familia de Meghan, que algunos podrían ver como la nueva “hablar directo [a toda costa]”.

Si el Sr. Markle estuviera realmente interesado en reparar la relación con su hija, él se abstendría de burlarse de su nueva familia, mirar hacia adentro y preguntar cómo su comportamiento, por justo que sea, podría estar impidiendo y haciendo imposible lo que él esté buscando.

— David Magallanes es un escritor, orador y profesor de matemáticas.

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