Tanning Mom — do as I say, not as I do
Patricia Krentcil, the famous tanning mom who is charged with child abuse because her 5-year-old daughter got sunburned.
I feel empathy for Patricia Krentcil, the tanning mom charged with child abuse because her 5-year-old red-headed child came to school with a sunburn.The authorities over-reacted to Patricia Krentcil’s bad example for her five children.
Since when is a sunburn is considered child abuse? If anything, the tanning salon is guilty of negligence for allowing a 5-year-old into a tanning booth. If that happened at all. Mom says the kid stayed out in the sun too long.As the mother of four children, I understand the need for parental self-indulgence, and the results of insufficient “me-time.” I became cranky, depressed and resentful when I spent little time and money on me.
With five kids, hiding away alone in a tanning coffin sounds like much-needed peace-of-mind for Patricia Krentcil. All caregivers can benefit from “me time” to make us better parents and keep the marriage going — in activities that aren’t self-destructive.
Tots-to-teens can see through parental hypocrisy of, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Tween and teens abhor hypocrisy and will call parents on it. Kids absorb unspoken messages when we tan until we bake, drink until we fall down, smoke until we hack, and eat until we waddle.
When kids witness addictive behavior in action, they’ll feel the impact for the rest of their lives. They’ll understand addiction as something to turn to in times of despair and depression. They’ll experience the anger, helplessness, disappointment and frustration of addiction in those they depend on. They’ll either see addiction as inevitable and acceptable or an evil to be avoided.
The real message from The Tanning Mom is parents need a break from their kids, that sets an example worth imitating.
Explore posts in the same categories: hyprocisy, marriage first, Self-care for mothers, work-life balanceTags: addiction, The Tanning mom
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May 21, 2012 at 11:01 pm
I agree that parents need a break, but couldn’t she arrange a play date? Hire a sitter? If she has money for that much tanning, surely she can arrange an alternate activity for the child.