Brian, Carnie, and Wendy according to Dr. Landy

[Glenn Greenberg]

In the infamous TV news story that Diane Sawyer did about Brian and his relationship with Dr. Landy, there was a point where Landy, being interviewed by Sawyer, claims that the reason why Brian is not in touch with his family is because of the emotional pain that they put him through.

Landy then adds something like, "The daughters worst of all."

Does anyone know if there's an OUNCE of validity to Landy's claim?

My understanding is that Carnie and Wendy were more or less cut off from Brian for most of their lives.  So what kind of interactions could they have possibly had with him that they could cause him more emotional turmoil than anyone else?

Or was Landy really just a total, complete, sack-of-sh*t liar?

[Nicole]

I think he was delusional. He thought he was Brian's savior, so it was everyone else who was causing the problems and he was simply "fixing" them.

I'm not aware of anything they would have done to cause any harm to Brian, I just know that Brian wasn't a huge part of their lives while they were growing up.

[c-man]

I think he was delusional. He thought he was Brian's savior, so it was everyone else who was causing the problems and he was simply "fixing" them.

I'm not aware of anything they would have done to cause any harm to Brian, I just know that Brian wasn't a huge part of their lives while they were growing up.

Maybe the "emotinal pain" Brian's daughters put him through was the guilt he felt from not being a good dad to them.  And I don't mean they made him feel guilty deliberately...maybe he just felt that way, and it was too hard for him to be around them.  Maybe Landy fostered that guilt so that Brian wouldn't want to be around them. 

[Dancing Bear]

Brian doesn't care that much about Carnie and Wendy. It's not a crime. Time to stop blaming Landy and/or Melinda and move on.

[Jay]

Brian doesn't care that much about Carnie and Wendy. It's not a crime. Time to stop blaming Landy and/or Melinda and move on.

No offense, but that's the most asinine thing I've ever read on this board.

[Dancing Bear]

I'm afraid of reading your diatribes when you actually want to offend someone. 

[Dr. Tim]

On this kind of topic I usually shut up but so the talk doesn't go too far off the rails:  Landy aside, Brian's reticence towards his "first" set of children is very very very common among divorced dads who remarry and start a second family.   Confronting the "first kids" reminds them of their failure as parents and husbands, even if they love the children they are racked by guilt about the slow disengagement over time that happens in visitation situations.   So the visits and the contacts eventually get farther apart, and often stop.  I have seen this repeatedly over the years, and the literature bears it out too, so this is by no means unique.  I can't say if that pattern fits exactly here, given the other tortured twists over the years, but from the known history it seems to fit, and Landy didn't help.

[Shady]

Weird question, but How does Carnie and Wendy get along with Melinda.

Does anybody have some insight. I've never seen a picture of them together.

[Wirestone]

I think the answer to that might be not so well. The "Melinda" tag has been attributed to Carnie.

But this is definitely a situation in which old and new family rivalries play a role. I'm sure most of the parties involved mean well and want the best for BW.

[Sheriff John Stone]

On this kind of topic I usually shut up but so the talk doesn't go too far off the rails:  Landy aside, Brian's reticence towards his "first" set of children is very very very common among divorced dads who remarry and start a second family.   Confronting the "first kids" reminds them of their failure as parents and husbands, even if they love the children they are racked by guilt about the slow disengagement over time that happens in visitation situations.   So the visits and the contacts eventually get farther apart, and often stop.  I have seen this repeatedly over the years, and the literature bears it out too, so this is by no means unique.  I can't say if that pattern fits exactly here, given the other tortured twists over the years, but from the known history it seems to fit, and Landy didn't help.

I agree with your opinion, Dr. Tim, and I think research would support you. I also think you're right about the "tortured twists" that Landy threw in there, which could influence things a lot of ways.

The thing(s) that confuses me the most are the interviews (on film and in print) with Carnie and Wendy. They so appeared to want Brian in their lives, whether it was recording albums/songs, just going out to dinner, or maybe just a simple occasional phone call (and who knows, MAYBE he is doing that). I've seen the girls come to tears in discussing Brian, and in longing for a relationship - any relationship. I'm sure you've all seen those Carnie and Wendy wedding photos, with a proud Brian there for his daughters. It LOOKED like they wanted to be together. I assumed Brian wanted to heal the past wounds, he said he did, but, we all know about HIS interviews....

But, as they've grown older (Carnie's 40 isn't she?) and they've lived a very full life and experienced things on their own, maybe their attitudes have changed. Maybe they're not as sympathetic as they once were (just thinking out loud). I don't know if it's true, but it does seem odd if Brian hasn't even seen some of his grandchildren. Is that true? Maybe this is where claymcc's post would come into play. But, gee, I hope not....

[Andrew G. Doe]

On this kind of topic I usually shut up but so the talk doesn't go too far off the rails:  Landy aside, Brian's reticence towards his "first" set of children is very very very common among divorced dads who remarry and start a second family.   Confronting the "first kids" reminds them of their failure as parents and husbands, even if they love the children they are racked by guilt about the slow disengagement over time that happens in visitation situations.   So the visits and the contacts eventually get farther apart, and often stop.  I have seen this repeatedly over the years, and the literature bears it out too, so this is by no means unique.  I can't say if that pattern fits exactly here, given the other tortured twists over the years, but from the known history it seems to fit, and Landy didn't help.

I agree with your opinion, Dr. Tim, and I think research would support you. I also think you're right about the "tortured twists" that Landy threw in there, which could influence things a lot of ways.

The thing(s) that confuses me the most are the interviews (on film and in print) with Carnie and Wendy. They so appeared to want Brian in their lives, whether it was recording albums/songs, just going out to dinner, or maybe just a simple occasional phone call (and who knows, MAYBE he is doing that). I've seen the girls come to tears in discussing Brian, and in longing for a relationship - any relationship. I'm sure you've all seen those Carnie and Wendy wedding photos, with a proud Brian there for his daughters. It LOOKED like they wanted to be together. I assumed Brian wanted to heal the past wounds, he said he did, but, we all know about HIS interviews....

But, as they've grown older (Carnie's 40 isn't she?) and they've lived a very full life and experienced things on their own, maybe their attitudes have changed. Maybe they're not as sympathetic as they once were (just thinking out loud). I don't know if it's true, but it does seem odd if Brian hasn't even seen some of his grandchildren. Is that true? Maybe this is where claymcc's post would come into play. But, gee, I hope not....

The situation would be difficult enough in any given family, but in this example, the dynamic is further skewed.

[Amy B.]

But, as they've grown older (Carnie's 40 isn't she?) and they've lived a very full life and experienced things on their own, maybe their attitudes have changed. Maybe they're not as sympathetic as they once were (just thinking out loud). I don't know if it's true, but it does seem odd if Brian hasn't even seen some of his grandchildren. Is that true? Maybe this is where claymcc's post would come into play. But, gee, I hope not....

I think it's pretty common for children not to get along with stepparents. A friend of mine hates her stepmother and barely has a relationship with her father, but I think in reality, the blame doesn't fall fully on anyone shoulders. I believe Brian at least met Carnie's daughter when they recorded You Are So Beautiful together. At the end of the song, in fact, you can hear him say, "She's a beautiful baby." And as of this year, Carnie was hoping to record with Brian:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33412357/ns/entertainment-reality_tv/

[Nicole]

Brian was also there this summer when Carnie gave birth to her second daughter. I'm not sure if he's seen his grandsons, though.

[TdHabib]

Brian looked really happy in his picture with Carnie's new daughter they put on the bloo this year.