Is anybody else bothered by Teri Irwin lately??

I'll admit, I liked Steve Irwin. Sure, his shows were kinda goofy, but they got people interested in our wildlife. The man cared deeply about our planet and used his celebrity to promote it.

When Irwin died, it was sad. Not just for all the work left to do, but for the young family he left behind. My heart went out to Teri Irwin for having to go on alone with two little kids.

Since Steve's death, however, I'm starting to see Teri Irwin in a new light. it seems to me that she's bordering on exploitation when it comes to her daughter. I thought having her give that speech at her Dad's memorial was a heavy load to put on a little kid, but that seems to be only the beginning.

Now, she has her 8yo daughter signed up for her own TV series and dragged her on "Larry King" last night. Does this strike anyone else as a bit odd??

I know grief can make people do odd things, but my question is this: is Teri Irwin doing the right thing, is she just grieving in her own way, or is she turning into a scary stage-mother?

She appeared with him a lot on his own show as well, from what I understand.

and reminds me of a little robot. She's a cute kid and all, but talk about being pushed into the limelight! Sheesh. Sorry, no offense to the Croc Hunter.

But the show was supposed to be with her and Steve Irwin. When he died the show should have died with him. It's bizarre that they kept it up. He hasn't even been dead 6 months and they're out and about working her. It can't be good for the kid who is still grieving now she has all of this pressure on her to please mommy and others. I think it's odd and probably wrong for the kid. But of course there are worse stories out there.

bits for her show when they took a break to film the stingrays.

the other day. Yes, I thought the Larry King thing was very strange. I didn't watch it, but I just found it weird.:shrug:

and was very articulate from what I saw of her on Larry King. She appears to have a lot of Steve's attributes. I hope for the best for the family.

In fact I think I remember that he was filming a segment for Bindi's TV show when he was killed by the stingray.

For some the limelight is natural, not exploitive.

I can imagine how carrying on his work might help ease their grief.

Did the kid appear like she had been "dragged on" the Larry King show?

She's been through hell, I'm sure.

I know I don't make perfect decisions even under the best of circumstances.




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January 10, 2007 12:00
Article from: The Daily Telegraph


BINDI Irwin's loved ones will shelter her from the public eye if the pressure of her whirlwind US tour overwhelms her.

The Irwin's manager and family friend John Stainton yesterday pledged the eight-year-old would be allowed to pull out of any media engagement she didn't want to do.

Mr Stainton said Bindi would be given the choice to pull out of any media engagements.

"My criteria is if Bindi doesn't want to do it that day, if she wants to go to the zoo or the beach, then that's what we're doing,'' he said.

"That is the priority, it's what she wants to do. If she decides she doesn't want to do the Letterman show, which tapes at 5pm, if she's tired or she doesn't want to do it, there's no pressure on her at all.''

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21033918-5001026,00.html

Also, it was Bindi's idea to give the speech for her Dad - she wrote it herself.

it's because of her parents that she shows the courage and strength to make it through these tough times....She was great on Larry King Live last night and showed herself to be quite the young lady. She was a part of the life that Steve and Teri made for themselves, and the world, from the beginning. I feel she will become a great spokesperson for wildlife and the planet!!

As for Teri....she would not ever hold her daughter back from doing what she wants, and I believe that Steve would be very proud of his little girl and his wife.

Good On ya Bindi!!

:thumbsup:

I don't know how I would react under such circumstances, so I will not judge her.

life and really doesn't know anything else. Her father and mother, I believe, just raised a very intelligent and open minded and well spoken little child. I think we will all be seeing alot more of this young lady. I hope so.

I just think that shoving a small child onto the stage so soon after such a huge trauma might be counter-productive.

If Bindi were a teen-ager, she could make her own choices regarding what she wanted to do. I'm just worried about how this affects an 8yo.

She seems like a pretty intelligent little girl. I am sure if she didn't want to do it, they wouldn't make her. It might also help in the grieving process for her to feel like she is carrying on her Dad's work...

some of them fair better then others.

As long as the kid is having a good time doing it, I think it's fine.

When it's not fun any more then it's time to stop.

Especially with Bindi. The idea of course being that wildlife preservation is something that even kids can seriously get involved in (as opposed to just sitting on the other side of a cage and going, "Ooh, it's so cute!")

Of course, Teri could very well turn into a "scary stage-mother," by forcing her daughter to do all this stuff in an indirect way of keeping her husband alive, but that really only applies if Bindi weren't interested in following in her father's footsteps. From all accounts, Bindi was extremely close to her dad and loved dealing with the wildlife, so having her give a eulogy was fitting. I've never got the impression that it was "this is Steve Irwin's daughter, let's capitalize on his death" or whatever.

Also, it's not like that was the first time Bindi had ever been on a program with her mom or dad; they almost always had their kids along when they did interviews (again to show that wildlife preservation is something the whole family can enjoy, and not just "the Crocodile Hunter" himself).

Bindi was only in the last two segments. That was because her mother asked her if she wanted to do Larry King and she said yes (because her father had been on Larry King) but she said she didn't want to do the whole hour.

a stage mother I think her daughter wanted to give the speech at the funeral and wants to do this show. I could be wrong but that is feeling I get...what better way to honor her father.

The daughter seems to me to be very well adjusted child with more than a bit of her fathers spirit in her.

I think the media wants us to be all up in arms about this....if we are not..then there is no story after all.

anyway as much as we all like to think the world will stop when we pass...life goes on...

I have not followed this story and knew nothing about the family.

The daughter was delightful and very, very outgoing. My first reaction was positive. However, over the course of the interview I became uncomfortable but could not put my finger on what was bothering me.

I know that mother and daughter should deal with their grief in whatever way seems best for them so I have nothing at all to say about their process except that I hope they do well.

After reading the above posts I came to realize what bothered me about the Ellen interview - it seemed a "performance" by the daughter and mother. Images of Jon Benet actually come to mind.

It seems like exploitation of a loss.

There were two segments and they only brought Bindi out for the second. Her mother said that they were in the US because Steve had planned to make the trip to encourage people to come to Australia and visit the zoo. And they were honoring his committment. I thought Ellen handled the interview with extreme sensitivity and when Bindi said she wanted to be like her Dad and wanted him to be proud of her I thought it was incredibly moving and probably healing for their family.

And she's so much like her father.

and has expressed a desire to be in "show business."

Maybe moving forward like this and keeping busy is their way of processing grief. I don't begrudge them that and wish them the very best.

very early and has a special ability. Maybe she had Irwin for a father for a reason. The mother seems extremely empathetic and sensible.

I've NEVER seen anyone so comfortable in front of a camera. That little girl left me speechless last night! She's extremely bright, well spoken, has the BEST manners of any 8 year old I've ever seen and seemed to truly LOVE doing her show. You could just tell she was sincere in her passion for TV. She not only looks like her dad, she has her dad's talent for TV and passion for animals...how many 8 year old little girls have a RAT for a pet???%^&*. I was completely impressed by Bindi and I think Teri and Steve did a WONDERFUL job raising her and her brother. No, Teri doesn't bother me. I admire her for letting her daughter follow her dreams. What a lucky little girl.

why does it matter to you?

She seems to be growing up quickly. As a teacher and parent, I hope that she attends school and interacts with other children.
I recently saw her described as the Irwin family spokeperson which I found disturbing.

She seemed to be a very well adjusted little girl, IMCPO.

I really think she is exploiting the child

Bindi spotted a lizard, got very still and grabbed it very gently in one fell swoop. The girl definitely takes after her father in looks and temperament. She also has his passion for wildlife. I couldn't catch lizards like that until I was in my teens!

I think Teri has Bindi's best interest at heart and is giving her leeway to act on her passion.

but yes, I am about over her myself. I watched a few minutes of her and her daughter on Larry King last night.

Takes all kinds I guess.