Kirk Franklin wrote an open letter to his absentee mother in 2015 and here’s part of what he confessed:
KF: “If you know me, then you know me. You know I carry a lot of issues on my shoulders about how I was raised, and how I missed having a mother. I’ve even found myself being jealous a little at how much love I’ve seen my wife Tammy give my sons. The doting care and attention she gives them has deepened their self-confidence to do anything placed in front of them. Even the discipline (whenever needed) is a sign to them that consequences are a real part of life and that they need to choose wisely. I often sit in the corners of their room and watch all of this with a yearning for a chance to have had that in my life when I was young.
No matter how many accomplishments may have passed through my life, one “I’m proud” from the woman who gave me life would have trumped every Grammy I’ve ever gotten.
Don’t get me wrong, Gertrude was a saint! She’s the lady who adopted me and steered my life into faith and music. But I limped through her love…”
In a separate 2015 blog post, Franklin disclosed one of his many most painful experiences as a child:
“One of my most painful memories as a kid was of a time that my biological mother told me and my half sister that she was coming to pick us up and take us to the state fair of Texas.”
Their mom never came that day, even though they stood outside for hours with anticipation of her arrival. Here’s how Franklin views his mother now:
“The memories of my real mother were of a distant aunt or female relative who would stop by five to six times a year. My sister and I both felt this abandonment, me being adopted and her living several places as a little girl.”
Kirk Franklin has managed to not allow his past to fully defeat him. Unfortunately, his newly incarcerated sister has had a much tougher time overcoming the traumatizing effects forced upon her through her parents and upbringing.
