Alec Baldwin . . daughter . . phone call

[LegalChef]

I heard the entire message on TV and I wonder what he was really upset about. It didn't seem to be about a phone call. There must be some kind of underlying issue here.

Regardless, he was way out of line calling her a little pig. And her mother certainly is no angel. I can't believe she put their family business all over the news like that. That's mean and tacky!

[sageofages]

Ok...let me add another perspective.

Yes what he said was terrible...just terrible.

BUT THINGS TO CONSIDER...if it was a prearranged phone call (ie, as in a date) shouldn't her custodial parent have some obligation to make sure that the phone was on and she would answer (very much like if dad showed up to pick her up for a visit, shouldn't she be dressed and ready?). The fact that the phone was off seems more deliberate.

AND I have kids who have cell phones and at 11 or 12, they didn't really get HOW to do their voicemail.

I felt like the rant, while on his daughter's phone, was really directed at her mother, who probably would be the person who would hear the message first, especially if she had culpability in missing the date from the start.

What an ugly unfortunate mess. Both need co-parenting classes (for divorced parents) and that child needs a CASA volunteer.

I did watch the view interview yesterday because i wanted to hear what he was going to say and see how legit he was in emotions.....but from what it sounds like it stems from bassingers deliberate action of her daughter not taking the call. From how these two have played out intheir divorce and chld custody arrangements she seems to be the one who ignores court orders and violates them--to be spiteful as well so i truly think the "pig" comment was not really directed at ireland but maybe at kim bassinger.


They both can use parenting classes big time!

[adpiucf]

Yes, he should have been a little cooler and not flipped his lid. But no parent is perfect and teens and pre-teens are known to do things that piss their parents off. He had a standing call with his daughter, she missed it and he was mad. I think that Kim Basinger used her child and the voicemail to embarrass Baldwin, but I can only imagine the daughter's embarrassment at being tossed into the spotlight in this way and having all of her friends hearing her being yelled at. Great parenting.

[PeppyGPhiB]

TMZ.com, which purchased the recording, has said repeatedly that it did NOT get the tape from the Basinger camp. So I don't know who else that leaves...

What bothers me about the message is not that he called his daughter a little pig. It's the ANGER that is soooooo overwhelming. If he leaves a voicemail like that on his daughter's phone - one that is completely irrational and in no way the way you word things or discuss things with a child - i'm guessing he's talked to her like that on other occasions.

It is well known that Alec Baldwin has a baaad temper. This just added another layer to the cake and I'm with other people that say that if his visitation rights have been taken away, there must have been good reason for it.

ETA: Oh, and I'm tired of these apologies after the fact. Why don't more people think about NOT doing these things so they won't have to apologize for them?

[James]

I don't know what to say really. It seems like a lot of people have never been yelled at before. They act really surprised that a parent would lose their temper like this, but its not uncommon at all.

In fact, he didn't call her a really bad name, which is probably why he used pig instead of bitch or asshole or something.

I have heard parents going absolutely ballistic on kids before and no one wants to suspend their parenting rights.

[adpiucf]

I agree with you completely James!

[OOhsoflyDELTA#9]

Originally Posted by James

I don't know what to say really. It seems like a lot of people have never been yelled at before. They act really surprised that a parent would lose their temper like this, but its not uncommon at all.

In fact, he didn't call her a really bad name, which is probably why he used pig instead of bitch or asshole or something.

I have heard parents going absolutely ballistic on kids before and no one wants to suspend their parenting rights.

Originally Posted by adpiucf

I agree with you completely James!

ummm I was fussed at as a kid but never belittled and talked to like that... to be called a pig at 11 or at any age as a child, by your parent, not ok...who is this normal for?...and to justify it by saying oh he didn't use "bitch" is wow..I think you guys need hugs if this was your normal childhood...

[REE1993]

I don't know, but when I was a kid, parents pretty much spoke this way to their children without fear of reprisal. Back then, parents subscribed to the theories "children should be seen and not heard", "spare the rod spoil the child", and "because I said so". Voices were raised a lot more than they are now.

I am NOT an advocate of agressive behavior, but has anyone's parents NEVER yelled at them with anger not apprpriate to the infraction? It's like telling a kid that they are "never going to leave this house again" when they broke curfew by a few minutes. Parents get frustrated and lose their cool.

These are litigious times and it seems like children have stepped over the bounds of basic respect for their parents and other elders.

Did he lose his cool? Absolutely. Could he have projected himself more calmly? Yes. But come on, he didn't thrash the girl, he didn't swear, he was angry. Everyone gets angry. I would guess that most parents have lashed out to their kids one time or another, and probably felt like crap about it. If you aren't a parent, you probably remember yours doing so.

Basing a decision to take the kid away simply on this private conversation would be a disservice to the family and the system. As a child of divorce, I remember being played between my parents, and it sucks on all sides. Most parents don't realize it - maybe this celebrity couple has figured it out by now.