Since Here Comes Honey Boo Boo first showed up on TLC, the crowd has been pretty much split right in half. One half found the eponymous star to be a delightfully sassy little creature who speaks her mind and therefore embodies the sort of child we all want to raise. The rest of us? We took one look at Alana Thompson, and the word "brat" came to mind.
So, who was right? According to Christy O'Shoney, a writer who happened to be at Honey Boo Boo's recent taping of The Tonight Show, the folks who want nothing more than to give the famous tot a dose of discipline are right on the money.
O'Shoney noted "eerie tension" on the set and refers to several retakes of that well-watched friendship bracelet bit that make the child sound just plain unpleasant. Among her complaints? Watching the 8-year-old hit her own mother, June Shannon.
Said O'Shoney:
From where I was sitting, Honey Boo Boo — let’s not mince words — was a tiny, dimpled monster.
Behavior one might expect from a rowdy toddler, perhaps. But from an 8-year-old? One who will be 9 this summer? Even excuses about how kids will be kids don't explain away an almost-9-year-old hitting someone else, especially an adult.
Does that make Mama June a horrible mother? Of course not. Kids, even normal well-behaved ones, act up and act younger than their age on occasion. And by all accounts, the kid is fed, sheltered, and has parents who love her. That's saying something.
But there is a definite downside to the parenting methods we have seen play out on the show.
The "real" side of Honey Boo Boo that's leaked out beyond the moments edited and orchestrated by television producers exemplify the struggle most of us face as we juggle raising a child who has gumption and a child who has manners.
You don't want to break their spirit while teaching them to behave. And yet kids do need to be taught to behave. They need structure, CRAVE structure, some experts will say.
With Honey Boo Boo, we've seen the mistake parents make most often, which is indulging children and acting like their most disrespectful moments are "cute" or "sassy" instead of putting them in their place (albeit with gentle guidance). Easy on a mom? Sure! And good for reality show laughs.
The problem comes when they grow, and that behavior really isn't cute at all. It's rude, disrespectful, and sometimes downright dangerous.
Worse, it's a cycle that's darn near impossible to break. If Honey Boo Boo is this naughty in public at 8, who knows what is to come for her parents.
Don't let their fate be yours too.
Do you think Honey Boo Boo's behavior is cute? Would you let your kids act that way?
Image via Discovery/TLC