Parents Behaving Badly

             For years, I have wondered what the big deal was with Lindsay Lohan. Things like, “why is her mom always going out to clubs with her?” and “what’s with her disappearing freckles?” But now more than ever, when people hear the name Lindsay Lohan, there are only two words that come to mind…mug shot! I know that it’s probably not fair to fault one or even both of her parents for her life choices. But after looking at the shining examples they both have set over the years, I find myself asking if it’s them who are really to blame for Lindsay’s downfall.

            TruTv.com has compiled a list of Michael Lohan's (Lindsay’s father) criminal, not to mention immature, behavior over the past twenty years. In 1990, Michael was sentenced to three years for insider trading. Fast-forward to 2003 when he punched a sanitation worker in the face. Three years later in 2007, Michael served over two years in a New York correctional facility for driving under the influence after causing a potentially fatal car crash. The website goes on to say that in May of 2009, Papa Lohan was “charged with misdemeanor aggravated harassment after he allegedly made a phone call threatening to kill his 24 year old girlfriend Erin Muller…”

            Now, I move on to the notorious Dina Lohan. You may have seen her gettin’ down with Lindsay at hot L.A. nightclubs, or putting her “mom-ager” skills to work on the E! show, Living Lohan. Either way, it is undeniable that a mother should not be out partying at bars with their daughter, especially when Dina has two other children, both younger than Lindsay. Not only does this set a bad example for all three children about what it means to be responsible, but as her manager, she should not be mixing business with pleasure. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. You invite a group of friends over and your parents inevitably butt in while attempting to fit in. Either way, there is an invisible line drawn between appropriate parent-child interaction. Dina has definitely crossed that line.

            I’m sure it is difficult to grow up with parents as obnoxious as Michael or Dina Lohan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending Lindsay. I think she’s ridiculous. But is it really that hard to understand why Lindsay behaves the way that she does? Look at the example that was set for her. A recent article discussed the issue of vicarious responsibility and whether parents should be held responsible for delinquent behavior in their juvenile children. Granted, Lindsay is not a juvenile, though she behaves like one. "Research has consistently demonstrated that children who participate in illegal activities often have poor relationships with their parents or come from homes where parents are not actively involved in the children's lives" (Brank, Greene, & Hochevar, 2011). The article goes on to say that if someone is in a position of power over another, in this case Michael and Dina Lohan, those people may be "causally implicated in any harm created by that individual."
           In an interview with Matt Lauer, Dina was quoted saying, “When [Lindsay] went out to Los Angeles when she was 19, I had to let her live and fall and fail and survive. Without failure, there’s no success.” Clearly, Dina’s plan backfired. Let the mug shots speak for themselves…

http://www.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/gallery/dumbest-parents-of-celebrities.html?curPhoto=3

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/photogallery/problem-parents.html?curPhoto=1


Brank, E. M., Greene, E., & Hochevar, K. (2011). Holding parents responsible: Is vicarious responsibility the public's answer to juvenile crime?. Psychology, Public Policy, And Law, 17(4), 507-529. doi:10.1037/a0024566