Kathie Lee Gifford has opened a can worms by strongly implying that parents of drugs addicts must be at fault in some way.
It all started when the 58-year-old Today favourite appeared to show hubris in an interview by admitting: 'I'm not a perfect mom, but my kids haven't been arrested.'
She then added to Family Circle magazine: 'So I must be doing something right.'
That remark understandably touched a nerve with those who have experienced addiction in the family, and fans flocked to her Facebook page to register their disgust.
One called her a 'thoughtless human being.'
Others told stories like this: 'I raised one daughter who graduated with two majors and has been very successful.
'I have raised another daughter who got involved with drugs and spent the last year in a drug rehab.
'Parents are not always to blame for their children's successes or failures. Until you've walked in the shoes of parents of addicts, you need to keep your opinions to yourself or learn a little bit about the disease.'
Another went further and posted a picture of her brother who died in his early '30s thanks to an addiction.
They wrote: 'Well Kathy, here is a pic of my little brother who we lost at the age of 33 yrs old due to a DISEASE called DRUG ADDICTION ...
'I find it funny we were both raised by the same woman called MOM ... I am NOT an ADDICT and NEVER was ... Poor parenting?? Gimme a break.'
'Shame on you Kathie Lee Gifford, shame on you. You are a thoughtless human being.'
Another added: 'Kathy do you know the first thing they teach you in family counseling for loved ones of addicts? The three C's; you DIDN'T cause it, you CAN'T cure it, and you CAN'T control it.'
'Poor parenting?? God bless you and your great parenting skills you suck at being educated on addiction.'
'I'm glad you never had to face any of your babies drowning in a disease they could not be cured from. I lost my baby at the age of 32 to a heroin overdose in Sept 2010. I am a doctor and worked hard my entire life to give her the best.'
Source
From TMZ:
Kathie recently spoke to Family Circle magazine -- and in the interview, she said, "I'm not a perfect mom, but my kids haven't been arrested, in rehab or kicked out of school, so I must be doing something right!"