Dr. Laura: Nicole, welcome to the program.
Nicole: Hi, Dr. Laura. I'm kind of nervous, and I like your show a lot. Dr. Laura: Thank you, how old are you?
Nicole: I'm fifteen. Dr. Laura: What's up? Nicole: I was wondering what to do about my brother. He keeps saying and wishing that I had cancer again.
Dr. Laura: Your brother says he wishes you had cancer again?
Nicole: Yes.
Dr. Laura: What's your understanding of why he says that? Nicole: I don't-he gets mad at me for just stupid reasons. Dr. Laura: Okay, you got a parent at home with you right now?
Nicole: What?
Dr. Laura: Do you have a parent at home with you right now?
Nicole: Yeah, my mom's actually sitting right here. Dr. Laura: Good. Would you hand the phone to your mom?
Nicole: Yeah.
Dr. Laura: Okay, thanks.
Mom: Hello?
Dr. Laura: Am I understanding correctly that you have a son who tells his sister he wishes she had cancer again?
Mom: Yeah.
Dr. Laura: And you didn't haul off and belt him across the mouth? Mom: The first time I warned him, she was actually- Dr. Laura: Okay, Nicole, my statement was, mother to mother, you didn't haul off and smack him across the mouth? Mom: No, I didn't. Dr. Laura: Okay, I think that's what you need to do, and you need to tell him his life will be a holy hell if he says evil things like that anymore. It's very simple. I don't care what he's angry about, I don't care what he's upset about, it doesn't matter. You don't say cruel, vicious things like that to anybody, much less your sister, and I'd haul off and belt him right across the face. And I'm wondering, what makes it difficult for men to act like men, and parents to parent? Everybody's so afraid to take stands. That's why I have a whole bunch of complaints about President Bush, like everybody else does. There's not a president alive we can't pick apart. That's just a fact, because not one president-it doesn't matter if it's your party or not-is going to do everything you want him to do. But the one thing that is riveted in my mind, is when we got hit on 9/11, we had a man in the White House who said, "Not on my turf," "Not on my watch," and "We're going to cut off the evildoers." Not only was that masculine, it was courageous, it was strong, it was leadership on so many levels. I think the only other man in politics I have respect for is Blair, from England. Another man with principles. But we've got parents in this country afraid to parent, we have men in this country afraid to act like men, and because of that we have social chaos. We have parents who don't know how to stop their kids from being evil. And frankly, all of that is the point of this program. In my adequate/inadequate way, trying to turn that around by bringing it to your attention and hitting you over the head with it.
