In a June interview with Vogue magazine, Jenny Sanford, wife to South Carolina governor turned adulterer, Mark Sanford, sings the same song of spousal betrayal, but with a slightly different tune.
When details surfaced of her husband’s affair with an Argentinian woman, Jenny Sanford received praise from women all over the country for standing up for her family instead of standing by her man. In her candid interview with Vogue, Sanford elaborates on what she believes caused the affair, blaming a combination of her husband’s ego inflation as governor and what she calls an “addiction” that the governor turned to during a “midlife crisis.”
Sanford reacted by moving herself and her four sons out of the governor’s mansion and into the family’s home in Sullivan’s Island. She says that her husband, “has issues that he needs to work on, about happiness and what happiness means.”
While I admire Sanford’s actions of giving up the public and political spotlight to take a stand for herself and her family, I am surprised at her outlook for the future. Sanford unarguably states that, “If you don’t forgive, you become angry and bitter,” but goes on to say, “Now I think it’s up to my husband to do the soul-searching and see if he wants to stay married. The ball is in his court.”
Seems to me the governor already answered that question when he chose to carry on the affair and abandon his office and family to run to Argentina to be with his “soulmate.” Maybe Jenny Sanford needs to search her own soul and put the ball back in her own court.
(Pic via Style.com/Vogue)
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Comments
Kari
August 19th, 2009 - 12:16:38 PM
I agree with what you're saying, especially the spirit of the post. But, at the same time, it is hard to judge these sort of things, especially as we don't have all the details. Perhaps, though, as hurt as she was, she did find the grace to forgive him and give him a second chance. If so, then it would be up her husband whether or not he wanted to take that opportunity. Now, obviously a lot of that is hypothetical - cause we just don't know all the details! - but I think it is plausible. And as an independent woman, I believe we should have the freedom of choice. Whether that choice is to give him a second chance or not is not really our business, so long as she does have the choice in the matter. And I believe she does and has demonstrated her courage to use it. I'd say we should give her the benefit of the doubt at this point.
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