BellaOnline Forums TV and Movies Sitcoms Did YOU Really Care about the Dr. Phil Families?

Did you care about the families on Dr. Phil's Evening Special? Were you interested in their story or just glad you weren't them?

I watched the show with interest. With so many broken families in our society today, focusing on how to improve on our family dynamics is, or should be, a cause that matters to each and every one of us. It requires an honest and courageous look at ourselves and what goes on in our homes.

It occurred to me as I watched that so many of the problems these families face involved nothing more than a return to good common sense. But perhaps we have lost touch with common sense. I had to think that with our pursuit of careers and material wealth too often taking precedence over the welfare of our families, many of us feel so guilty (as we should) that we have allowed our children to run the roost instead of the other way around. I saw this in the mother who couldn't unplug the television her 3 year old watched for 9 hours a day, or the mother who couldn't seem to stop buying her daughter each and every toy the child whined to get. Dr. Phil was right--that's abuse. Born of guilt, I would think.

Shall we do the right thing, then, so that we have no reason to feel guilty? It is indeed time to renew our focus on families.

Zee

Perhaps someone needs to make a show called common sense! People can tell them their problems and they can just give commen sense answers..

I agree that many times as parents we go after the things - which means money and time away from the family we love-
Well said ZEE!

My opinion about Dr. Phil might not be very well received and I admit that I haven't watched many of his shows. I personally think that therapists shouldn't be as aggressive or judgemental. They are supposed to listen and let people come to their own conclusions...the idea is empower the patient, not humiliate.

This being said, I suppose that wouldn't take well on television. Just my humble opinion...

I hear a lot of people say they Dr Phil is very judgemental. Rosanne Barr has said she hates him so much she wants to wrestle him!

Agreed, Stephanie, a good therapist is for the most part someone who primarily listens, gives an occasional guideline so as the help the person find their own way. And yet, I sometimes think we have become so politically correct, so timid about stating anything at all that might sound like a "value" or, God forbid, fall into the category of ethics, that we have become a rather bland and mealy-mouthed society.

Dr. Phil, I think, is more of a celebrity, a media personality, than a psychiatrist. He operates that way, and television (and that would be us, wouldn't it? the people watching?) loves a sensationalist. I'm sure he understands the selling points of his shows. But in this case I think a little forcefulness of opinion was in order. When a young mother is powerless to turn off the television set her 3 year old son watches for nine hours of the day, gee, someone needs to shake her up a bit!

Zee

Very true. Good point. Some of the people he talks to need shaking...I should check his show out again sometime soon.

Ohhh...Dr Phil. I loved him when he was on Oprah. So did my husband. We were excited about him having his own show. After 3 months we've stopped watching. It's like watching an hour long infomercial about his books. It really turned us off.

Yes it doesn seem everything is tied into his book AD NASEUM. But I saw a good episode today where people had kids that were really really in trouble and he really connected to the DAD to help him. But on the other hand , I wonder if other guests think - GEE he didnt commit to my problem like that....he just asked me if it was working for me

Dr. Phil is a psuedo counselor which is just one step up from a quack