You know, it's one thing to see adults air all of their dirty laundry and embarrassing behavior on television, but to push your 10-year-old daughter to do the same is quite simply a shame ... and shameful. However, that's just what Teresa and Joe Giudice did to their daughter Gia, as we saw tonight on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. It was agonizing to watch and impossible not to wonder just how much that little girl would regret it in the end.
Poor Gia wanted a bra, and all her parents could do was to tease and mock her for it. "Bra shoppin'? You take after your mother, you don't have nothin,'" her helpful father threw in. Teresa said she wanted to be a supportive mom, but then just embarrassed and taunted Gia throughout the whole bra shopping process. There's a difference between lightening the mood and making a girl miserable, and Gia seemed pretty miserable.
Teresa, of course, thought she was being a totally cool mom (unlike her own mom who considered having sex and using tampons to be similar acts). However, as we've repeatedly seen, being perceptive is not one of Teresa's strong suits.
Then there was Field Day, hosted by Jacqueline Laurita. Teresa and Gia went, even though Juicy Joe told her to stay away from Joe and Melissa Gorga, because they're "jealous, no good idiots," and told Teresa, "When I say something, you f*cking listen and shut up." With a father like that, is it any wonder that Gia might have some emotional issues?
So off the two of them went to frolic and play games. Then just when it looked like Melissa Gorga's ridiculously short booty shorts might be the biggest scandal of the day, Gia unleashed.
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She started calling the other team cheaters and eventually ended up throwing a full-out tantrum. She stormed off into the house to pout, and Jacqueline and Caroline Manzo tried to console her. When she just continued to act like a brat, Jacqueline pulled out a book about being a poor sport and started reading it to her. THAT really set her off.
Instead of thanking them for trying, Teresa came in and immediately took Gia's side, and was appalled that anyone else tried to parent her. Then she yelled at Caroline and Jacqueline for getting involved, and topped it off with the insulting blow that she'd much rather be down at the shore with Juicy Joe anyway. Caroline, in all of her wisdom, summed up well exactly the message Teresa sent to Gia when she did that: "No matter how badly you behave, if you feel hurt, they’re wrong."
While that may not be the way the world works, it is the way Teresa's mind works, and it's sad. Sadder though is that all of Gia's behavior -- from the bras to the outburst -- should never have been shown on TV. She's too young to know what she's agreeing to, and I can't imagine she won't regret it at some point in the future. Seriously, would you have wanted your first bra shopping experience televised, especially if your mom KEPT pointing out the fact that you have no "bubbies"? I'm sure that won't get her teased at all.
The drama between Joe and Teresa is getting really old, but spicing it up with a hormonal tween isn't the way to do it. It's bad enough to see adults act like children, but when children are acting like children, sometimes parents need to tell the cameras to stop. At least she got that big hunk of provolone cheese.
Do you think it's wrong of Joe and Teresa Giudice to allow their daughter's life to be filmed in these kinds of situations? Do you think Caroline and Jacqueline were wrong in how they handled the situation with Gia?
Image via Bravo
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Comments 29
First of all, I would not allow cameras in my home -- much less film my children's most intimate moments, revelations...whatever. Gia is not an actress with a script. I think it's awful. Moreover, Theresa is probably telling her that exposure might be good for her `career' as a model.
Now the tantrum she had. I think Gia's tantrum was triggered by maannyy things. Her outburst is normal and somewhat expected of children of that age. I feel bad for her. She silenced at home by an overbearing father, misunderstood by a mother that will not stand up to her father for her. Hell, this is all kind of messy. And definitely if I were J and C I would have tried to calm the girl, distracted her -- some conform is what the girl needs.
She was acting like a normal 10 yr old....Had they of left her to her self and not given her attention for her being a poor sport she would have shaken it off a lot sooner.... A 10 yr old craves ATTENTION!!!! Good bad or any for that matter was feeding into her tantrum....You would think Mrs. All KNOWING Caroline would have known that but I guess that means she doesn't know everything after all.... RIGHT??? BTW Caroline lied to Teresa when she said she didn't scold Gia.....Remember "YOU NEED TO LOOK AT HER " While she scolds you......Hmmmmm? I think she needs to scold her own disrespectful boys like when they are always putting the sister down right in front of her without a word from Caroline (and btw she sometimes shares in the laughter and teasing) If your gonna be the authority on child rearing make sure you look into your own family life first........Booboo.....Right?????
Teresa and that fred flintstone she is married to are horrible parents. I think whoever yells the longest and loudest has their point put across. The proof of their bad parenting is in the actions, words, attitudes and disruptive behavior of their children. Those girls are going to be messed up in the future - sad but I think true
**it's** typo
Is Teresa perfect- hell no. That being said, Jac and Carolyn share some of the blame in this one. Jac should never give any parent any parenting advice ever. We all see how Ashley turned out Jac. Gia was acting bratty, but she's 10 and Joey did cheat. Being that they were filming either Jac or Carolyn should have immediately gone and gotten Teresa or taken Gia off camera to calm her down. They sat there on film for God knows how long and let Gia melt down while fully egging it on. Disgusting. And that book... wow.
Ditto.....shame Teressa and Joe have limited functional brain capacity .Poor kids are already exhibiting poor habits taught at home !