Moms from Hell

Greetings Friends,

Before I get to the nut of today's post, I must admit my technological skills are not as advanced as they should be, so please forgive me for providing a link, rather than an embedded video. Once I figure out how to accomplish that task, I'll give you something worth watching. Like my favourite Monty Python Spam clip. For now, please click here to view footage of Dina Lohan from this morning's Today show, where she speaks to Matt Lauer about her daughter Lindsay's situation. In my opinion, Nassau County New York's child welfare services failed that family miserably. Dina and Michael Lohan weren't fit to raise snakes.

I'll never understand what possesses parents to put their children through the meat grinder that is Hollywood, except of course, if it is on some level to live vicariously through them. I watched Dina Lohan's interview with Matt Lauer this morning, and I thought to myself: there has got to be some sort of law against stuff like this. Lindsay Lohan is 6 years past the age of majority, but I can't help but feel that more responsible parenting would have saved this girl from all the boozing, drugs, and God knows what else, and ultimately would have kept her out of the tabloids, jail, and now a fourth stint in rehab. But, Dina Lohan, in all her cluelessness, was content to sit there and toss up ambiguities, blaming the judge, the press, the man-in-the-moon, and everyone else for her daughter's shameful station in life. Again, here is a case of someone who could have given herself truckloads of credibility by saying, "You know what? I screwed up. I shouldn't have gone out partying with my daughter all those times, making her think that dressing like a skank and guzzling vodka at 17 were things all mothers and daughters do for fun; like having tea parties and braiding each others hair." Instead, it's everyone else's fault but hers. Thanks Dina; that's 10 minutes of my life I'll never get back; not to mention the 20 minutes it took me to bang out this post. Then again, if it wasn't for you, I would have punted another one today.

Stage parenting isn't going anywhere. Neither is helicopter parenting, overbearing parenting, and parenting in general. When I think about all the child stars who are irretrievably broken because of all the bad decisions their parents made, it's a wonder anyone today would let their kids loose in Hollywood. For every Brooke Shields, who managed to survive the "mother" of all stage moms, there's a Michael Jackson, a Gary Coleman, a Macaulay Culkin, a Cory Haim, a Britney Spears and now, a Lindsay Lohan. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson might be billionaires with their DualStar empire and their Dumpster-chic style, but can those two possibly be happy? My guess is no.

Sure it's easy to blame the press and just about everyone else, but the bottom line is: if mommy and daddy can't hack it in the real world, plying your children in show business is not the answer. Take responsibility for your actions and parent to the best of your ability. Attempting to turn your kids into meal tickets should be a recognized form of child abuse. I'm sure Christina Crawford would agree.

Enjoy your weekend.

Nava