‘Role model’ Wendy should retire

My problem and so too several people who have either called or chatted with me, including the man in the grocery line last night, is the fact that she chose the wrong forum to make her "Queenly" announcement which truly needed no ‘public’ statement. It is only the ‘real’ monarchy who has the privilege to make these announcements which usually come via a "palace source" anyways.

What gives Wendy Fitzwilliam, who let us not forget has long gone off the hit parade as a beauty queen, the right to stand in front of an all-girls Catholic school of impressionable, young, teenage children, or for that matter any school at all, and speak of this as her "greatest accomplishment thus far in life." Let us not hope that it proves to have been her "greatest mistake thus far in life." Not having a child out of wedlock, which happens in most families nowadays, but making a decision for parents of this country what their youngsters should be publicly told on this subject by one who is supposedly "a role model."

A term which from past experience is so improperly used, especially in this instance where most of these role models chosen by another newspaper to take their message to the schools in its Education Making a Difference series, are not really role models in their private lives which believe it or not is more important than the achievements in their public lives.

One young mother was irate. "What is she trying to tell our children, teenagers whose hormones are already jumping in the wrong direction. And who are not "professionals" and so are unable to mind a parrot on a stick. Please ask the Wendy’s of this country to leave the talking to us the parents. I had to tell my 14-year-old after she had thoroughly questioned me, that it was not alright for her to follow suit at all. What Wendy did there is make my job more difficult with more talking for me. We are already talking a lot trying to get these children out of this cycle."

You were so wrong Wendy, that was not the "right environment," not that you needed any public forum to make your "important announcement." Most of us in TT are not interested at all in your baby and your relationship. We would just like for you to stop being in our faces at every opportunity you get.

Where do you and these other inexperienced role models who have not learned how to balance your fame and ordinary life get off with what you tell our children. That’s exactly why you all cannot be considered ‘role models’ with that show of such poor judgment, imagine going into a Roman Catholic School and talking about being a "condom nazi." The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church does not have anything whatever to do with the word "condom."

Understand me well Wendy that this has absolutely nothing to do with your having a child, that’s entirely your private business and that’s exactly where it should have stayed. And would not have been seen as an "attempt to hide your pregnancy." It is obvious that you continue to have a very over-rated sense of self since having won the Miss Universe title. Strange but our previous winners of that and the Miss World title are two very normal and down-to-earth individuals who realise that their moments in the spotlight have long passed and we are not interested in every nitty gritty detail of their lives.

And my final point, Cyril Ross Home in which you are a big figure is about children who have been abandoned because they are HIV positive. How do people become ill with that disease Wendy? Through sexual activity, so please do not tell our young people how great your pregnancy is because they may just misunderstand you and believe that it’s okay for them to proceed with the act, since one who calls herself ‘a role model’ will always be seen as a good example to follow by those who do not know better.

ANGELA PIDDUCK

Maraval