Not All Cousins Are the Kissin' Kind

That adorable little Caroline Kennedy is all grown up now and has turned into quite a meanie. This week she came out with a statement to the press condemning her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as "a predator," and certainly "the worst fit for the job" he has been nominated for by President Trump, which is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. She issued this bitchy statement shortly before his scheduled Congressional confirmation hearings, adding for emphasis that, "we grew up together, so I know him."

When I read what Caroline said, I was taken aback -- at first. Then I remembered that cousins come in all shapes and sizes, and degrees of closeness. Even first cousins can be so distant as to know nothing about one another. In my own family I have, or had, eight first cousins. We could all say that we "grew up together," sharing family holiday celebrations, weddings and funerals at the very least. But today our relationships are vastly different.

One of these cousins is like a brother to me. We lived under the same roof for three years as kids, were close as young adults, and are now even closer as older adults. While we live in distant states, we communicate often on the phone and online. If he were nominated for a cabinet position for anything at all I would praise him to the skies. Meanwhile, his sister is another story. Though she and I were close in our younger years, we stopped all communication 15 years ago when her father died and I didn't have to pretend anymore. Basically, she is an evil witch. If she were nominated for a cabinet position I would phone the New York Times, The Boston Globe, CNN and FOX News and tell all of them that she is a predator. (Let's say we had our issues.)

About those other six of my cousins, I have no idea if they are dead or alive. Actually the only one I loved died years ago, and the rest never mattered. My husband also has eight first cousins. Of those, at least two of them would call him a predator if he didn't beat them to it. He has not spoken to four of them in 40 years. The other two have become really close and dear friends of his.

The point is, what Caroline says about Bobby doesn't matter a whit. They obviously had issues too, and her spiteful words today are not only tainted but slanderous.