Dr Laura is a bad mother?

[nomi]

This is a spin off from the top 8 bad celebrity moms. Someone mentioned that Dr Laura was a bad mother and I can't find anything about it, just links about her bad childhood book.

Dish!

[Witsec7]

I don't really know what kind of a mother she is, but she is a hypocrite for sure. Divorced hubby #1, met hubby #2 who was married with kids. Hubby #2 leaves wife and kids and shacks up with Dr. L for years before they marry.

[desertvixen]

Someone mentioned that Dr Laura was a bad mother and I can't find anything about it, just links about her bad childhood book.

Personally, I think she's just a bad person. And annoying.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

I don't know any specific controversies pertaining to her own family, but I would think if she follows the advice she gives to other people, yeah, that makes her a bad mom.

I turned up a few links that makes it seem like she has a hard time relating to people, in general:

Schlessinger has also been estranged from her sister since the mid-1970s[3], and has reportedly told friends she is an only child. She says it was her family that shunned her, not the other way around. "My door is open", Schlessinger has said, on those rare occasions when she mentions her sister. On her show, however, she has often advised listeners to break off contact with troublesome family members. "I love shunning", she says. "It reminds people they have an obligation to others."[4]

http://www.nndb.com/people/427/000022361/

[nomi]

My parents bought me The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands when things started going south in my marriage. I spent almost a decade applying that book to my marriage and it didn't fucking work. Also, I'll C&P what I posted in the other thread:

I actually called her show once when my ex returned from a deployment with severe rage issues and was manifesting PTSD and she tore me to shreds for thinking about leaving a returned war hero despite the fact that I was, at one point, in fear for my life.

She was SO nasty to me. I was crying on the radio and she cut me off and told me what a terrible person I was to dishonor a man who served our nation and blah blah blah and didn't listen to the fact that he had acted violently against me. I guess as long as he never physically touched me and just came within inches it was okay.

[kpmom]

Apparently her son put some disturbing things up on a Myspace page while he was stationed (he was in the Army) in Afghanistan several years ago.

I believe the Army investigated, but not sure the outcome.

Here is a blogger who is not exactly a fan of Dr. Laura and goes into some detail about Dr. L's son. Don't know how much is accurate.

http://lolita-lolita-lolita17blogspotco ... es-dr.html

[nomi]

I am never one to armchair diagnose, but she's really narcissistic.

[Austin]

Personally, I think she's just a bad person. And annoying.

This!

[Glass Cowcatcher]

I actually called her show once when my ex returned from a deployment with severe rage issues and was manifesting PTSD and she tore me to shreds for thinking about leaving a returned war hero despite the fact that I was, at one point, in fear for my life.

She was SO nasty to me. I was crying on the radio and she cut me off and told me what a terrible person I was to dishonor a man who served our nation and blah blah blah and didn't listen to the fact that he had acted violently against me. I guess as long as he never physically touched me and just came within inches it was okay.

The ONLY appropriate advice for someone in a violent relationship is get out of it. It doesn't matter what the other person's job description is.

That's advice that could very well have cost lives. :evil:

[Minerva]

This!

Yes! I just spent the weekend having my mom read me quotes from one of Dr. Laura's relationship books. My mom: "I don't know if you'd agree with everything she says, she's pretty conservative." Me: "Isn't she a raving homophobe?" My mom: "I don't know about that, but she sure is smart!" Ugh.

[lilwriter85]

Personally, I think she's just a bad person. And annoying.

This. I've disliked her for years. One of my favorite comedians, Kathleen Madigan has snarked on Dr. Laura several times.

[tropaka]

I hate this bitch. When I ran into her radio show she was saying you should stay home with your kids (she had a kid and was working), and the only reason for leaving a marriage was abuse. Later nude photos of her came to light (not sure if they were taken by her current husband or not) and the fact that her husband left his wife for her. She has a degree in physiology (not psychology or pshyciatry) and is totally homophobic.

[Witsec7]

I hate this bitch. When I ran into her radio show she was saying you should stay home with your kids (she had a kid and was working), and the only reason for leaving a marriage was abuse. Later nude photos of her came to light (not sure if they were taken by her current husband or not) and the fact that her husband left his wife for her. She has a degree in physiology (not psychology or pshyciatry) and is totally homophobic.

The nude photos were taken by Bill Balance, her former boss and a married man at the time. She fucked her way off a bottom end radio station in Santa Ana CA and into the big time with Bill Balance in El Lay.

[bananacat]

My parents bought me The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands when things started going south in my marriage. I spent almost a decade applying that book to my marriage and it didn't fucking work. Also, I'll C&P what I posted in the other thread:

I actually called her show once when my ex returned from a deployment with severe rage issues and was manifesting PTSD and she tore me to shreds for thinking about leaving a returned war hero despite the fact that I was, at one point, in fear for my life.

She was SO nasty to me. I was crying on the radio and she cut me off and told me what a terrible person I was to dishonor a man who served our nation and blah blah blah and didn't listen to the fact that he had acted violently against me. I guess as long as he never physically touched me and just came within inches it was okay.

I really hate that she said this. Sex, love, and commitment are not some prizes that a man wins for doing heroic things. He can't earn those things and isn't entitled to them. You have no obligation to stay with anyone, for any reason. The only reason to be with someone is because you want to be with them. People are complex and even heroes can treat others badly. I don't like this attitude that doing some good things negates all bad things, or entitles people to get away with bad things without any criticism.

[Stickers]

My grandmother would always listen to her in the car with me when I was little. I enjoyed the freakshow/drama aspect of it, but I always hated Dr. Laura. Even as a kid I could tell she gave the worst advice and was a mean nasty woman.

Can nasty hateful people be good parents? I don't know.

[nomi]

The nude photos were taken by Bill Balance, her former boss and a married man at the time. She fucked her way off a bottom end radio station in Santa Ana CA and into the big time with Bill Balance in El Lay.

I seriously never thought I'd google the terms "dr laura nude photos" but I found 'em

NSFW/K

http://www.bartcop.com/mengidx.htm

[shesinsane]

She's certainly a bad daughter. It made the news when Dr. Laura's mother passed away, since they hadn't spoken in years and her mother lay dead in her apartment for over a month before the body was discovered.

Dr. Laura released a statement about how her mother had shut her out, end of story. No one ever asked why a woman who gives family advice for a living was estranged from so many of her own family members.

Re: her nude photos - her hair styles (both above and below) really date the photo.

[BravaAmica]

I stopped looking after 16 pictures. Ugh.

[Burris]

I remember when Schlessinger's son posted some disturbing comments on his MySpace (?) page about how he had killed people during his tour in Afghanistan.

I felt bad for him, and yet nothing but contempt for Schlessinger herself: Years earlier, when her son was about 12, I caught a bit of her radio show that has stuck with me 'til this day.

Her son was at a Jewish day school attending an ethics lesson. The Instructor asked him if it is right or wrong to steal bread if one is starving. Schlessiinger bragged about her son's answer – that the evil of starvation didn't excuse the evil of stealing.

I knew he'd learn better someday. I just wish it hadn't been at the expense of his own psyche and the lives of other people.

She also has a real hate on for disabled people. I don't particularly want to dig back into it because it was just such off-the-cuff bullshit.

Hey, and I also remember when she told a room full of Conservative Jewish women that their faith wasn't as strong as hers because she went full Ortho...uh, that is until she quit Judaism altogether.

She's not just a bad mother; she seems to be an all-around bad person.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

Does anyone remember the Dr. Laura-like character on Frasier? She was a psychiatrist who was filling in as a guest host on his show (or maybe she had her own show at the station? I'm not sure), and he didn't realize until he came into the studio to listen that she was a hyper-conservative nut case. It was a great episode. (I love Frasier.)

ETA: My favorite part was at the beginning of the episode, when they showed her at the tail end of a call, telling the caller: "You should be shunning this woman, not celebrating her!" Then she hangs up and says, "A baby shower for an unwed mother, now I've really heard it all!" :lol:

[artmama]

Personally, I think she's just a bad person. And annoying.

That's pretty much where I am at in regards to her. Actually, I will take that even further and say that she isn't just annoying, the bile that she spews on the radio and in her books is dangerous and has probably contributed to or at least perpetuated untold amounts of spousal abuse.

[debrand]

My parents bought me The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands when things started going south in my marriage. I spent almost a decade applying that book to my marriage and it didn't fucking work. Also, I'll C&P what I posted in the other thread:

I actually called her show once when my ex returned from a deployment with severe rage issues and was manifesting PTSD and she tore me to shreds for thinking about leaving a returned war hero despite the fact that I was, at one point, in fear for my life.

She was SO nasty to me. I was crying on the radio and she cut me off and told me what a terrible person I was to dishonor a man who served our nation and blah blah blah and didn't listen to the fact that he had acted violently against me. I guess as long as he never physically touched me and just came within inches it was okay.

When we lived in Iowa, we gave up cable tv so my only source for entertainment was the radio. I ended up listening to a lot of crazy talk radio including Dr. Laura. She really is horrible. When people called into her show, she would never let them explain their side of their story but would cut them off.

I've read The Proper Care And Feeding of Husbands. Dr. Laura seems to believe that most marital problems can be solved by women being adoring wives and ignoring any fault the man has.

[Alecto]

I was a regular Dr Laura listener for years, mostly because I grew up in a town where we only got about 5 radio stations and 3 of them were country. It was kind of amazing to see the evolution of her from a fairly smart, caring radio shrink to a shrill neo-con mouthpiece and then off into her own world (which, personally I think is what got her fired. They were looking for an excuse.)

I can also look at my own experiences working in talk radio, and say that there is a good chance 90% of Dr Laura's radio/publication personality were manufactured. At least 2/3 of the people I knew in the industry have a radio personality and their own. I often wonder if Dr Laura is wracked with the same guilt I am about what she said on the radio, how if affected other people, and if she can ever make amends for it. It's a guilt I will deal with for the rest of my life.

[deelaem]

I was a regular Dr Laura listener for years, mostly because I grew up in a town where we only got about 5 radio stations and 3 of them were country. It was kind of amazing to see the evolution of her from a fairly smart, caring radio shrink to a shrill neo-con mouthpiece and then off into her own world (which, personally I think is what got her fired. They were looking for an excuse.)

I can also look at my own experiences working in talk radio, and say that there is a good chance 90% of Dr Laura's radio/publication personality were manufactured. At least 2/3 of the people I knew in the industry have a radio personality and their own. I often wonder if Dr Laura is wracked with the same guilt I am about what she said on the radio, how if affected other people, and if she can ever make amends for it. It's a guilt I will deal with for the rest of my life.

Since you have experience with this, why do you think there hasn't been more of an expose' about the truth of radio shock jocks? You hear talk about it, but I haven't come across any producers or writers coming forth about how it's all manufactured. Is this because if they did, their career in radio would be over?

[nomi]

I listened to her a LOT when I lived in HI because I didn't have TV or a car for several months and then just got into the habit of listening to the radio at that point. I remember one woman calling in about her family giving her a hard time for breastfeeding her medically fragile three year old under doctor's orders. She told her it was bordering on sexual abuse and that she needed to pump and feed the child. I was so upset when I heard that and I hope that mom didn't take her advice.