What should Blago say to his kids? Honesty a great policy

Among all the tasks in front of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the wake of his indictment on Thursday, one of the trickiest might be how he handles the subject with his two daughters.

Children are extremely sensitive, and the No. 1 priority for Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, is to be honest with their daughters, age 12 and 5, about what is happening, according to one suburban psychologist,

"Parents don't have to speak unfavorably about themselves in times like this, but they should be honest and realistic about what's at stake," said Kim Dell'Angela, clinical psychologist and director of health and psychological services at Harper College in Palatine. "If left to figure things out on their own, children often create stories that add greatly to their own stress."

Blagojevich, who was arrested by federal authorities in December and booted from office by the legislature in January, was formally indicted Thursday on 16 corruption counts, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal agents. Authorities claim he used his office to secure a variety of personal benefits, from cash to employment for family members. Since his arrest, Blagojevich has denied wrongdoing.

The former governor has been the butt of nonstop jokes during the past few months, and his name has appeared in newspaper headlines all over the country. Some have even gone so far as to question Blagojevich's sanity.

While it's impossible to shield children totally from that kind of media coverage, parents can cushion the effects of it by giving their children specific strategies for how to deal with comments or taunts they might hear, Dell'Angela said.

She also suggested that the Blagojeviches and other family members encourage the two daughters to ask questions about what's going on.

"You should always let children know they're allowed to talk and ask questions about the strains the family is feeling," she said. "Some will decide not to, but it helps children to know that it's OK to do so."