Opinion: Dina Lohan - Don't Take It Personally

Image Credit: zimbio.com

Last November during an episode of Glee, guest star Gwyneth Paltrow, as the substitute Spanish teacher, asked the class in Spanish, "Lindsay Lohan is totally crazy, right?" She then proceeded to teach the class about counting in Spanish: "How many times has Lindsay Lohan been to rehab?" It was obviously meant as a joke (hey, I laughed).

After the episode aired, Lindsay's mother, Dina Lohan, attacked Glee for going after her daughter, threatening to take legal action. She told Gossip Cop, "'Our lawyers are sending a letter' to 'Glee' on the grounds that the show allegedly defamed the actress who, by all accounts, is working hard on her recovery." If you've paid attention to Lindsay's actions since November, you know that she obviously hasn't been working all that hard on any sort of a recovery. I never heard any more news on that legal action, which means she had no ground to stand on.

Last month, some of the cast members ran into Lindsay and apologized. Okay - everything then seemed to be in the past and all was good in the world again...whoops, I spoke too soon...

In the recent post-Super Bowl episode of Glee, guest star Katie Couric, when interviewing Sue Sylvester, ran off a list of the Losers of the Year. Among the names on said list were Dina Lohan, and sparky Lohan, their dog. Pop Eater's Rob Shuter has a source who says, "They are all a bunch of bullies. Dina is hurt and shocked and hasn't done anything to deserve this constant teasing from this show."

Okay Dina, have you looked at yourself or your family? The only reason people know your name is because you are Lindsay's mom and manager. You rode her coattails in order to claim a piece of that fame, even going so far as exploiting the rest of your family on a short-lived reality show for your own gain. You claim you want privacy for your family, but yet you do something that this to put the spotlight on all of them.

I realize that Lindsay is 22, legally an adult (I was born on the same day and year as her, incidentally), but not only as her manager, but as her mother as well, you need to get your priorities in order here.  Even rehab experts have said you should stop being her manager and "start acting like her mom."

Who cares if Glee is taking jabs at you or your daughter? Every celebrity in the world has had some sort of criticism thrown at them. You're not the celebrity in this ordeal. So you need to not take it personally, and focus on helping your daughter instead of answering to every critic.

I would suggest staying out of the limelight for a while. That way, you can be the mother that Lindsay needs right now. She has obviously gone through some things, and especially right now continues to spiral downward. If she isn't accepting help, that's one thing (I don't know if she is or isn't). But you can't expect us to take you seriously if you always go to the media to respond to the latest attack or find a way to keep yourself in the spotlight once more.

I can understand why you would be hurt by these jokes and jabs. It's your daughter, for crying out loud (and even you). The first reaction would be to respond to it all. But it's not healthy for you or Lindsay right now to continue doing things to grab attention. Lindsay needs help, and I hope you will do what you can to help her.

I have only seen Lindsay in a couple of movies (Parent Trap being my favorite). She is a talented actress. Unfortunately, though, she has let her personal life get in the way of her becoming the giant star that she could have been. We've seen young stars go down the wrong path before (Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears); even Miley Cyrus is going through one right now. If Lindsay is able to surround herself by people who can take a firm stand and not let her get away with whatever she wants, then maybe she can dust herself off and make a rise back to the top again. But until that happens, we will just continue to see the trouble in her life (the most recent one being the accusation that she stole a necklace from a store).

So Dina, do you understand why you and your daughter are always the butt of jokes? We haven't seen a positive change from either of you, that's why. I'm not here to tell you how to be a mother or how to run your life, but what I'm advising is to listen to what we're all saying so you can first try to understand why you are perceived the way you do. Then tune us all out and look at what you can do to change that perception. What you heard on Glee was just one of a million criticisms out there; don't take it personally.

America loves a comeback story, and I know we would love to see Lindsay have that. Help her have that comeback. Not as a manager, but as her mom. As a human being who cares about and wants to help someone in need.