Hasselhoff and Houston: Parenting gone bad?

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  Posted by Angela Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:18am PDT

  No, this is not okay.

  The only reason why I can think of for children to be in rehab with a parent is because there is nowhere else for the child/children to go during rehab, and that's a better alternative than forcing children into foster care, emergency shelters, or group homes while their parents receive treatment. This is one barrier that keeps people who are desperately in need of inpatient treatment from entering it. So, in that case, it's justified. Otherwise, no.

  Kids and families also need treatment for the disease, but they shouldn't be punished for their parent's addiction. They also shouldn't be permitted to go to all the groups and therapy that the parent needs to go through both with other addicts/alcoholics and individually. The addict/alcoholic goes to rehab to receive treatment for themselves, and that must be their priority. In Whitney's case, I don't understand why this was permitted, especially since relying so heavily on others is what got her into so much trouble in the first place.

  When a parent enters a rehab, they should consider all the things they've done that they aren't proud of that they will need to discuss that isn't appropriate to discuss in front of their children. They should then consider what others there have done. Above all, they should be concerned for their child's safety. An adult rehab is not a safe place for a child to stay and live.

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  Posted by jd Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:21am PDT

  I feel that it is okay. I have been there where a parent was working to kick the habit. The child has already seen it first hand for tehmselves. Trhey need to know every part of what it takes to come clean.Children a much smarter than we give them credit for. A lot of the times the child is the driving force for the parents to come clean. In whitney and David's case the children needed to be there.

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  Posted by impatientmom Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:45am PDT

  I grew up with an alcoholic mother and her lushous relatives, so sympathy for lushes is IMPOSSIBLE for me to accept. Kids need stable homes, NOT DOING TIME with mommy or daddy in rehab!

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  Posted by Katie W Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:59am PDT

  and why is that angela

  How are children supposed to help the parent?

  I can understand if you mean a ten year old or something

  But a child who is old enough to determine what to do and how to ask questions and so forth should learn how to suppoer the parent.

  What if the child turns out like the parent then what?

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  Posted by Chloe Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:45am PDT

  Whitney Houston is NOT clean - she still drinks by her own admission! Addicts substitute their drug and will use anything to get high including alcohol, Nyquil, Tylenol PM, prescription drugs etc. I thought she sounded so arrogant in her interview. I really wanted her to be well and watched in the hopes that she really was. Sadly, not the case. She has not hit rock bottom. She totally minimized her drug use and, sorry, but if your are smoking 'rock cocaine' (ugh CRACK)I would bet a lot of money that you have way more drama and devastation going on in your home than she eluded to. You don't have to share what you don't want to share but don't try to come off like it was not as big a deal as we all know it was! She could have just said something like it was extremely bad and I am grateful to be on my way out of that place. She kicked like she's all better! NO ONE with a problem that bad, recovers from the whole of the devastation (including the physical effects) after doing 'your 30 day stint'. Very sad, I hope she really gets it on straight.

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  Posted by another hockey fan Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:15am PDT

  I can't STAND that no talent, butt kissing, ego-inflated Hasselhoff. The only reason why America has somewhat embraced him in recent years is because he has zero balls to tell people they suck on "America's Got Talent".

  The Germans were the only ones who went ga-ga for his singing when he tried to be a "rock star" way back when and it's still apparent today why that is......

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  Posted by Jed Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:16am PDT

  Worse than simply making your kids parent you is making your kids parent you in public, as a public figure. I can imagine that, however hard it is for kids to deal with their parents problems in private, doing so on a global stage is worse. Celebs who choose to air their laundry in public should leave their kids--and families--out of it.

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  Posted by Angela Wed Sep 23, 2009 2:25pm PDT

  Katie W.,

  The entire point is that children aren't supposed to "help" their parent get or stay clean. In fact, no one is. Addicts and alcoholics attempt to blame other people, places, and things for their addictions and problems. They need to learn to take ownership for their own behaviors and learn to look inward. They need to learn how to rely on themselves. Minor children are not and should never be responsible for parenting their parents.

  Drug and alcohol rehabs are filled with people from every walk of life, from Whitney Houstons, to doctors and nurses, to reverends and lawyers, to housewives and criminals. All have engaged in behavior they are ashamed of. All have engaged in behavior that is not safe or appropriate to expose children to. All are capable of violent outburts, sexually inapropriate gestures, stalking, coersion, manipulation, thievery, and worse. Some of these are character flaws that will leave them as they learn a new way of life. Some of these are not. The point is, people in rehab are working to get drugs and alcohol out of their system, working to overcome both the physical and mental aspect of addiction. They are new to recovery and have a long way to go. Some will get kicked out of the facility for their behavior--anything from sneaking in drugs and alcohol to stealing to having sex with other patients. It's not a safe place for children to be living.

  Furthermore, drug addicts and alcoholics enter rehab with the opportunity to be honest for what is very likely the first time in their lives. If someone's non-addicted child is in every group, they will be guarded and unable to express themselves in the way necessary to gain kind of real therapeutic gains. Drug and alcohol rehabs often hold family groups and therapies, but they are secondary to the main focus of getting the addict sober.

  Families and children must also receive treatment. There's a reason why Al-Anon and Ala-Teen are seperate programs from AA and NA. Families and children of addicts and alcoholics suffer differently from the addict themselves. Al-Anon and Ala-Teen do not teach people how to help the addict; they teach people how to help themselves. That's the key.

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  Posted by Jasmine Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:16am PDT

  I agree with you 100%!!! I can't believe that someone would actually take their child to rehab with them!!!!! That is the most selfish thing I've ever heard!!! And as far as asking his daughter to film him.... well you couldn't have said it better : " NARCISSISTIC"!!!!!!!!!!

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  Posted by Super Abuelita Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:47am PDT

  Working at one time in a drug and rehab center, I would say NO.

  The children, regardless of age have already gone through enough.

  Anybody with ANY addiction needs to do it for "themselves" and nobody else.

  The family, including children need to be counseled individually, or as a family of the person with the addiction.

  An adult rehab center is no place for a minor.

  Family and children do need to know how to deal with what is going on, but by a family, or individual professional.

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