rod blagojevichRod Blagojevich marched his daughters into court this week, ensuring they're officially as victimized as the state of Illinois.

Rumor has it he was trying to sway sympathy his way.

I've got sympathy alright -- for Annie, 7, and Amy 14.

Parents in the midst of national scandal are hard-pressed to protect their kids entirely regardless of age.

Jennifer Weiner's hot new bestseller, Fly Away Home, proves that one handily in a The Good Wife-esque story of a fictional Senator's family coming to grips with his affair gone public. The Woodruff kids are adults when the scandal surfaces, but their childhoods in the public realm were anything but sane.

Having just finished it (in only two sittings I might add), Blago's latest bonehead move seems that much more bizarre.

Not only is he pushing them in front of the cameras, he's putting them in a courtroom where they have to hear the accusations made against him in an official setting.

It's one thing to hear them on TV. It's quite another to hear a polished prosecutor rattling them off.

No parent is perfect, but it's up to us to at least fake it as best we can so our kids feel safe when they're still as young as Annie. For kids Amy's age, there's a need to retain some authority -- even as we admit to teens that we have it tough to gain their trust, we need to stay one step ahead of them.

Should Blago send the girls home?

 

Image via delusionalcubsfans/Flickr