Because I'm the Mom

How mothering pervades all relationships in life.

by Pamela Cytrynbaum

Why Did Maria Shriver Disappear?

How Did This Happen to Maria Shriver?

Published on May 19, 2011 by Pamela Cytrynbaum in Because I'm the Mom

October 16th, 2009. By Walyou

Let's agree to fast-forward through the gruesome parts of the Maria Shriver - Arnold Schwarzenegger crash-and-burn we already know. The maid, the child, the wife and maid giving birth days apart, the 20 years she worked for them, the humiliation and horror of THAT, the identities of the maid and the child, blah, blah, blah blah, the whole bloody mess is out there.

Let's also agree we're all spectators and we don't know what Maria Shriver knew and when she knew it or what silent, Kennedy-woman-martyr deals she cut with herself. And that her soon-to-be ex-husband is a goon.

See All Stories In

Sex…Power…Scandal: Are We Surprised?

From Arnold Schwarzenegger's lovechild to an alleged rape by France's would-be president, high-profile missteps show how those with power forget that their privilege is not universal.

Find a Therapist

Search for a mental health professional near you.

Find Local:

Here's what we DO know: Arnold Schwarzenegger came with a flashing neon warning label you'd have to actively choose to ignore. No mystery. No shock. No doubt. No surprise.

The part of this sadly clichéd narrative that I'm actually interested in, that I think is worth spending our public time on, is not him, but her, and not her in relation to him, but her in relation to herself.

What happened to her?

I explore this story more in my NBC blog on FamilyGoesStrong.com