Setting an example for kids

Poor Falcon. In this YouTube video, as his father gets interviewed by the Today Show, the little boy who was part of the balloon hoax last Friday literally starts vomiting on camera.

His brothers look horrified as he pukes all over them. His mother, meanwhile, finds a square-shaped Tupperware dish and places it in front of her son as he continues to throw up. His dad, however, doesn’t miss a beat and continues the interview.

Why did his parents continue to keep him in front of the TV cameras in light of everything that this poor 6-year-old has been through?

Parenting experts have weighed in on this issue, of course, and several have condemned Richard and Mayumi Heene for telling their son to lie. (According to the latest story from the Associated Press, the Heenes spent two weeks planning the stunt in order to land a reality TV show. The sheriff in Colorado’s Larimer County also alluded that a few media outlets also were in on the hoax.)

What in the world kind of parents would model this kind of dishonesty and attitude that ‘we can use and abuse other people in our lives in order to get a little publicity?’” Dr. Joanne Stern, author of “Parenting is a Contact Sport” told Philadelphia Metro.

Using their kids for personal gain and instructing them to lie “is sort of like prostituting your children for money,” she said.

The Heenes now face potential charges including conspiracy, contributing to the deliquency of a minor and false reporting to the authorities. I hope authorities also recommend counseling for the whole family.