I know a dad who pays more money for airlines tickets to see his girlfriend than he does in child support. He also willingly shells out more cash to wine and dine said girlfriend in the course of three days than he does to feed his own child in an entire month. That’s on top of repeatedly placing the child in dangerous situations and consistently ignoring the child.
So, does this make the guy a bad dad? He certainly doesn’t think so, and I would venture to guess that fellow fathers Jon Gosselin and Mel Gibson would agree.
The aforementioned celebrity dads have been on a roll recently, making headlines around the world for exercising inappropriate behavior. Interestingly, they have a lot more in common than just having last names that begin with the same letter.
Both men are fathers to multiple children: Gosselin is famous for his brood of eight children, including 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets. Meanwhile, Gibson is a dad to seven kids, including twin boys. In addition, both men are married to wives, who have been described as “controlling” and “intimidating,” and who expect their spouses to be active participants in child rearing. Basically, the paragon of motherhood today.
However, the reason the fathers have been making the rounds on the covers of supermarket tabloids is that both have been accused of cheating on their wives with younger women.
In Gosselin’s case the whole scandal started with whispers of late night barhopping, dirty dancing with college co-eds and excessive drinking. Most recently, photos and video of the “Jon and Kate Plus 8” reality TV star fraternizing with 23-year-old schoolteacher Deanna Hummell surfaced, and now PEOPLE magazine is reporting that the couple is seriously considering divorce.
Gibson, on the other hand, already got his walking papers. The actor’s wife of nearly 30 years, Robyn, reportedly booted him out of their mansion following his infamous DUI arrest/anti-Semitic rant.
The big-screen star is now in a relationship with fledging singer Oksana Grigorieva, who is reportedly three months pregnant with Gibson’s child. Reports say 53-year-old Gibson has been carrying on his affair with the 39-year-old Russian for a while now, and even has her set-up in one of his many homes. Grigorieva has a 12-year-old son with former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton and has been married twice.
Besides sharing a weakness for adulterous relationships, Gosselin and Gibson also have another thing in common-—both men have publicly expressed how important religion is in their lives.
Gosselin and his wife Kate make tens of thousands of dollars from Christian communities. The couple routinely travels around the country speaking at Christian churches about the role God plays in their large family, and how important it is to have a faith-filled home.
Likewise, Gibson claims to be a traditional Roman Catholic, who attends Latin Mass and abhors any changes introduced since the Second Vatican Council. I’m pretty sure true traditional Catholics despise the fact that Gibson is considered a poster boy of sorts for the religion given his recent behavior. I’m pretty sure traditional Catholics would rather I not remind people that the philandering “Mad Max” star still considers himself to be a “God-fearing Catholic father.” I’m pretty sure I don’t care since Gibson’s actions speak louder than anything I could write.
Gosselin has denied that he cheated on his wife. Gibson, not so much. Regardless, many fans of these celeb dads say their indiscretions are more indicative of being bad spouses than bad fathers. I happen to think their actions are suggestive of both.
After all, what kind of message does their adulterous behavior send to their children? Doing the wrong thing is one thing, but scandalizing innocent children is quite another. What’s more, Gosselin and Gibson claim to be men of faith. I wonder if they forgot that God hates hypocrisy. Do what you do out of conviction. Do the wrong thing or the right thing; do it wholeheartedly without duplicity, and God can deal with either one. But to practice hypocrisy without the slightest hint of remorse? I sure wouldn’t want to be around when God tries to break them of their pride.
Interestingly, leaders of several Catholic organizations, who previously spoke highly of Gibson’s affiliation with the Church, are now keeping tight-lipped about the actor’s “inappropriate behavior.” One leader called Gibson’s recent foray in public with his new girlfriend “disappointing.” Meanwhile, the editor of a popular Catholic publication took a unique approach to answering questions about the alleged “God-fearing father.” Instead of admonishing Gibson for his behavior he advised that we pray for Grigorieva given that Gibson’s actions are “sending that very woman to hell.”
In addition, instead of calling Gibson an egotistical SOB the Catholic editor opted for this tactful approach: “A more or less romantic sensuality or passion must never be equated with love. When you love someone you want the best for them and hell is not a place where you want loved ones to be.”
He goes on to say that Gibson appears to confuse true love with loving himself in Grigorieva, and that his sins are multiplied by carrying on a romantic relationship with a woman who is not his wife, and exposing his children to the affair.
Granted, neither Gosselin nor Gibson has done this or this to their children, but perhaps that’s the problem. It’s much easier to rationalize your own bad behavior when there are others who are paving their road to hell at a much quicker pace. Instead of amending their behavior, Gosselin and Gibson seem to make excuses for their questionable actions. So how’s that working for them?
Only time will tell.