Hell hath no fury like a controlling mom in a doctor's office.
Take the case of Christy Duffy, a Michigan mom who recently lost her cool and left us fearing for teenage girls everywhere. It all began innocently enough, when Duffy took her 17-year-old daughter, Amy, to the doctor. A sign informed Duffy that Michigan law required patients between 12 and 17 to engage in (at least) five minutes of private conversation with their doctor. No moms. No dads. Just kid and doctor.
Duffy promptly flipped out. She refused to allow the doctor to speak privately with Amy. And because it's 2014, Duffy took to her blog to whine about the evil hospital's concern for her daughter's safety from terrible mothers like herself.
Obviously, the government was trying to wedge itself into Duffy's family, likely to fill poor Amy's head with information about birth control options and the glory of teenage sex!
Make sure this is crystal clear: what they want to do is talk to your child about sex and drugs (maybe rock and roll—who knows?) without your input. Is it really such a stretch to imagine that a doctor who does not value abstinence before marriage would encourage your daughters—as young as 12!—to receive birth control . . . Is this what you want told to your children without the ability to filter the info through your worldview?
Duffy added that she felt the doctor was attempting to "undermine [her] parental authority." Because, you know, she certainly will lose all control over her daughter in a year.
The Danger Of Duffy's Rants
Look, my parents are high school teachers, and the things their students confess to them never ceases to astound me. From what I've seen and heard, there are parents who literally beat their kids when they find evidence of sexual curiosity. My own family took in a 15-year-old girl for several months when I was a kid because her parents kicked her out of their home. For many teens, their teachers and doctors are the only people they can truly trust. Preventing your child from forming this bond is not only cruel, but potentially dangerous.
That's not to say that Duffy falls under this category: to her credit, she does argue that doctors who suspect abuse should be allowed to speak privately with kids.
But the real tragedy is that the doctor's office was actually misinformed, and there is no such law providing children private time with their doctors. Contrary to what Duffy believes, this isn't about government control: It's about providing teenagers with the information they need to handle real-world medical situations that may arise, including those of a sexual nature.
With moms like Christy around, it's especially imperative that vulnerable teens have someone they can talk to without fear of judgment or wrath—even if only for five minutes.
Image: So much anger. Courtesy of, ThinkStock
