Strangely enough, while the Summer of the OJ Killings was going on around us, I dated a very nice guy whose own late father had been on trial for the murder of his mother (when the guy I dated was a child). As the guy recounted the story, his Dad sounded guiltier than OJ. However, a crucial piece of evidence, found later, pointed to someone else, an underling of his father (a wealthy business owner), providing reasonable doubt, and his father was acquitted.
In a way it comforted me for the Simpson kids, because it was obvious that psychology had let my friend cling to his father’s innocence his whole life. He still believed it. His father had always repeated his innocence to him. The mind can be a protective thing.
Yes, most children want to cling to the belief that their parent is good...in the face of overwhelming evidence to the negative. It is one of the things about childhood innocence that, I think, helps them overcome what otherwise would be devistating. Think of all the kids who have endured abuse, and stay...they cling to the belief that Dad or Mom...will change, or made a mistake, or didn’t mean it. And they believe, with all their hearts, when the parent offers his/her “I’m sorry.” They just want to love their parents. That is understandable. Don’t we all?