Sisters Divided

The Dr. Laura Podcast

Two sisters call Dr. Laura seeking guidance after their oldest sibling reconciled with their mother, who previously ran a daycare where childre

Key takeaways

• The mother ran a daycare where children were starved, left in car seats watching TV all day, and one infant was shaken; she avoided criminal charges due to legal representation.
• Callers McKenna and Heather cut off their mother seven years ago but feel lingering guilt for not making a scene or reporting the abuse when they were younger.

Main topics

• Family estrangement and sibling boundaries
• Daycare neglect and child abuse trauma

Notable quotes

"She was capable of great evil. That's my answer."

Conclusion

The episode underscores that protecting children from proven harm shou

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Thanks for listening to my call of the day brought to you by Alloy Health, a digital health platform that connects you with a menopause specialized doctor to help you feel and look your best in midlife. It's all done online from the comfort of your home. Head to myalloy.com and use the code Dr. Laura to get 20 % off your first order. Remember, you can hear my radio program daily. on SiriusXM Triumph and connect with me 24-7 at drlaura.com. McKenna and Heather, welcome to the program. Hi, Dr. Laura. Hi, Dr. Laura. Hi. Thank you for taking our Speaker 3 (0:39) call. Speaker 2 (0:40) And who are you two to each other? Speaker 3 (0:43) Four sisters. Speaker 2 (0:46) We're Speaker 3 (0:47) too busy to listen to Dr. Laura. Speaker 2 (0:49) Thank you. Who's the older sister? Speaker 3 (0:52) We Speaker 2 (0:52) saw Speaker 3 (0:52) you in L.A. last year? Two years ago. Oh, Speaker 2 (0:57) it was the best, best trip ever. Oh, you're very sweet. How can I help you today? Speaker 3 (1:03) Okay, so this is a complicated question. We don't talk to Speaker 2 (1:10) our mom anymore. Speaker 3 (1:11) And because that Speaker 2 (1:14) and because. Speaker 3 (1:16) I got her because, Speaker 2 (1:19) um, Speaker 3 (1:21) My issue of not talking to her stems from me being little and involved in her affair that she was having on my dad that I was the only one who knew about. She knew I knew, but made me keep it a secret. And she also, Kenna is more, I feel like, your strong opinion on this and me as well since becoming a mom, but she ran a Speaker 2 (1:47) daycare. Kids were neglected. Abused. Speaker 3 (1:51) Stuck in car seats all day in front of a TV. We're not fed. We're not fed. Speaker 2 (1:57) Horrible Speaker 3 (1:58) situation. Speaker 2 (1:59) Horrible. Did she get arrested finally? Speaker 3 (2:02) No. Well, that's the thing. So it finally came down to that she shook a baby and she got a really good lawyer. I'm just a complete idiot at the time and should have made a scene and had a voice and I didn't, Dr. Rora. So that's on me. Speaker 2 (2:18) Well, how old were you guys when this went down? Speaker 3 (2:23) I was 14. Well, when the actual baby was shaken, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know the proper term for that. But I was married with two kids. I know. Speaker 2 (2:35) Oh my God, you