Pink performing live during Truth About Love Tour in April 2013
As first reported by NJ.com, the girl’s parents are divorced, and her father accused his ex-wife of abusing her parental discretion by taking their daughter to the December 2013 concert at the Prudential Center in Newark.
But state Superior Court Judge Lawrence Jones rejected the complaint in a 37-page decision that contained a brief history of rock ‘n’ roll and a commentary on the increasing use of judges as referees for warring divorced parents.
But state Superior Court Judge Lawrence Jones rejected the complaint in a 37-page decision that contained a brief history of rock ‘n’ roll and a commentary on the increasing use of judges as referees for warring divorced parents.
Jones said Pink may have some suggestive moves and lyrics, but she’s an artist whose works aren’t necessarily inappropriate for preteens.
He found that the mother “in no way, shape or form exceeded the boundaries of reasonable parental judgment” in taking the girl to the show during her own parenting time. He also found that she didn’t subject the child to any unreasonable risk of harm, or compromise the girl’s health, safety or welfare.
“To the contrary, when all the smoke from the custody litigation clears, it will be self-evident that all which happened here is that a young girl went to her first rock concert with her mother and had a really great time,” the judge wrote in his decision, which quoted the lyrics from Pink’s songs “The Great Escape” and “Perfect” as examples of messages for adolescents.
Although I think we can be influenced by music, movies, the media etc, I think this young girl would probably remember this event as doing something nice with her mom, not the lyrics and whatever they suggest or describe. We can’t prevent kids from being exposed to the world (unless you’re a Duggar!) and I think so long as the parenting is teaching her what she needs to learn and know otherwise, it is probably more stressful if the daughter is aware that her parents are fighting about it!
I am a decorated veteran of the custody wars, having sued for custody of my then twelve year old son. I won the case; cost me $35,000 (cheap at twice the price), but I won. Or did I? Are there any real “winners” in a child custody battle? I think not.
I also worked for decades with the traumatized children of divorce who proliferate in our modern society.
As Bogy said in Casablanca; I have sympathy for the fox but I understand the point of view of the hounds too.
I hope this misguided father will figure out that the more rigid and restrictive he tries to be with his daughter, the quicker he will lose her respect and affection.
That said, I share his distress at the increasingly early sexualization of our children. If it had been a Miley Cyrus concert, I might agree with him.