As most of you know, last week Myrna Gamboa was sentenced for her role in the EPISD cheating scandal. I am not particularly interested in the Gamboa sentencing, as the issue has been amply covered by the news media. However, a picture popped up on my Facebook feed of Gamboa attempting to avoid having her picture taken by the news media. It bothered me a lot.
I am not surprised that Myrna Gamboa doesn’t want her picture splattered all over the news, especially tied together with her pleading guilty to crimes. I’m not bothered at all, by her avoiding the news media. What bothered me the most was the priorities in her life as poignantly displayed by a photograph taken by El Paso Times photographer Ruben Ramirez.
As you look at the photograph, you will notice that Gamboa and a man that appears to be her husband holding hands rushing across an obviously busy street. A few steps behind and all alone is a child that is likely her son. As a matter of fact, both Ramirez on his Facebook post and Lindsey Anderson on her newspaper report refer to the three as husband, child and wife.
What kind of priorities does a mother have when her only focus is to avoid having her picture taken and leaves her child alone to illegally cross a busy street? What about her husband’s priorities? It appears that his focus is to protect his wife from the cameras and leave their child to fend for himself.
Gamboa was sentenced to five years’ probation and she was assessed a $5,000 fine. El Paso Times’ reporter Lindsey Anderson reported on January 29, 2015 that Gamboa’s “husband and son watched quietly from the second row as the hearing proceeded, displaying no emotion.”
According to the news reports, Gamboa cried before the judge as she attempted to minimize the sentence the judge was about to impose on her. I am incredulous that a mother would take her son to court to watch her grovel before the judge about to sentence her for her crimes. About the only thing, I can infer from that is that her son is nothing more than an accessory for her plea for mercy to the judge.
It really saddens me that the child’s parent have their priorities completely mixed up.
