Why I Hate the Kid ‘Scarface’ Video!
I hate this tasteless viral video of kids re-enacting “Scarface,” because to me, it epitomizes our culture’s need “to be seen at all costs” and it promotes the use of children for adult humor, entertainment and exploitation in a gut-level offensive manner. I have no problem with vulgar humor for adults, but when we are teaching young children (7- to 10-year-olds) to say things like “motherfudger” and have a young girl referencing things such as “coke” while wearing a seductive blonde wig,...
read moreMy Son Punched Another Kid
Even we therapist moms can lose it sometimes — and this incident definitely made my temper spike! Dr. Michelle Golland: OK, I have a confession to make to all of you moms. I hate to say this, but I am the mom who is defending her 9-year-old son after he punched another kid and wound up in the principal’s office last week. I’m a psychologist, I help heal relationships and I don’t believe in violence, but (oh my god, I’m saying “but!”) my son, Asher, has had a long history with the kid he punched in the...
read moreWill Sandra and Jesse Recover From Affair?
I must admit, I love Sandra Bullock. She is talented, smart and funny, and she chose the bad boy and made it look like a good, solid choice. It added to her superpower quality in my eyes. It is the classic story of the cheerleader dating the bad boy in high school. The bad boy never believes he can get the cheerleader, and the rebellious bad boy on campus often intrigues the cheerleader. I have strolled on the “wrong side of the tracks” and have dated many a bad boy, especially in my youth. (I must admit I was a cheerleader.) I...
read moreProm Cancelled Due to Gay Teen? OUTRAGEOUS!
I am outraged that a school in Jackson, Miss., has canceled its senior prom because one of its students, Constance McMillen, 18 — an openly gay senior — wants to take her girlfriend as her date. Oh, and she can’t wear a tux either! We live in a free country where people should not be discriminated against based on their race, creed or sexual orientation. As a psychologist, when I hear about these stories of such blatant discrimination and ignorance, I am appalled and disgusted. It is more disturbing to know that this...
read moreFighting with the Mom of Your Kid’s BFF
I could feel Maria’s pain and frustration when she shared the story of her recent blowout with a friend who happens to also be her daughter’s BFF’s mom. I have two thoughts about this issue and have personally experienced both. 1) The friendship will heal because you both are actually friends and want it to heal. 2) The friendship will never recover (even with your best efforts) because it never actually meant that much to your friend in the first place (or she simply can’t deal with ANY conflict). Okay, I know the...
read moreDo You Need to Do a ‘Friendtervention’?
Okay, so when is it time to make that phone call to a friend or have lunch and discuss “the issue”? You know what I mean: You’ve seen her drinking a little too much lately. Or her husband was out to dinner with a colleague — and sitting a little too close for your liking. Or her new size 0 look is starting to scare you. It can be very difficult to tell a friend how we really feel. Of course, what we fear is that she may absolutely hate us for it — and we could end up losing her friendship altogether. We also...
read moreSuicide and the Children of Celebrities
Today we heard the devastating news of the suicide death of Michael Blosil, the 18-year-old son of Marie Osmond and Brian Blosil. It was only a few days ago that 42-year-old Andrew Koenig son of actor Walter Koenig (of “Star Trek” fame), was also found dead as the result of suicide. The fact that these two suicides were the children of celebrities is, in my opinion, not coincidental. The two things are clearly related. Both of these men had apparently been struggling with depression for some time. The children of celebrities face...
read moreSpitefully Gay: A True Story
Tova, my 6-year-old daughter, has been dealing with envy and jealousy a lot lately. As anyone with two kids knows, sibling rivalry is at times unbearable! I honestly wonder how my mom survived with three girls fighting over bathroom space, clothes and boys for 18 years! I do know that all the moms on my block would get together and drink wine (from a box), starting at around 4 PM every day. It was pure 1970s survival drinking. Lately, Tova has been very interested in who is kissing whom and who is in a relationship with whom. She loves to ask...
read moreMoms Who Murder Their Own Kids
What is going on with these murdering moms? Stacey Pagli was arraigned Wednesday on charges of killing her daughter, Marissa Pagli, 18. Officials say that it appears Marissa was strangled — and that Stacey has attempted suicide in jail. What is going on with all these murdering moms? Well, it seems that it is not that uncommon — it is just horrifying to our sensibilities as caring and loving mothers. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, from 1976-1999, 30% of murdered children under the age of 5 were killed by their...
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