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Do You Think It's Wrong That Jaycee Dugard's…

Do You Think It's Wrong That Jaycee Dugard's Daughters Refer To Her Kidnapper Phillip Garrido As 'Dad?'

Mon, July 11, 2011 7:00pm EDT by Hollywood Life Staff 42 Comments 16,629 Article Views

Even though Phillip Garrido fathered Jaycee’s two (now teenaged) daughters by sexually abusing her, she still lets him keep his status as their ‘dad.’ Is she completely wrong in doing so or is she doing the right thing?

In her first interview since she was rescued in 2009, Jaycee Dugard, now 31, opened up about her 18 years as Phillip Garrido‘s victim and sex slave, and the complicated relationship her daughters Starlite, 16 and Angel, 13, share with their evil father. They call him ‘Dad!’ Is that wrong?

When Diane Sawyer questioned why she Jaycee called Garrido the kids’ dad on the July 10 ABC special — Jaycee replies, “He is who he is.”

“Their dad did strange things and they knew it, Jaycee tells Diane Sawyer. “They lived like that for so long that I don’t really think that that was that big of a shock to them. Because they knew their dad.”

But what do you think, HollyMoms? If you were in Jaycee’s shoes, would you allow the man that kidnapped, raped and held you hostage for 18 years to be considered your childrens’ father? Share your thoughts.

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He is their father and they have every right to refer him whatever they want. Besides it’s no one’s business.

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Is it really anyone’s business but their’s?? No one has any rights to judge or criticize, this family has been though enough and need support. I have just finished the heart wrenching book, but throughout it I read about a strong girl who loved her children. I work with women and children from DV relationships…..the choices she is now making will be hard enough without everybody else’s opinion…..

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I am also reading A Stolen Life and yes she is learning to live with reality and move on from her past. She’s knows it happened and says it all though the reflections of her book. Very graphic book and it is very upsetting she has a life like that.

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I am reading A Stolen Life. Unless you read Jaycee’s story, you will not even begin to understand what she went through and why she did the things that she did. Even then, we did not live her 18 years of hell. Anybody who would dare to judge her is an outright heartless moron.

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no i would find a good man that would take care of them and me and understood what happened and he could officially adopt them and everything and call him dad. that would be much better than calling that psycho dad

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Find him… The men these days dont want to take care of there own children most of the time.. We have to live in these times not back in the 70′s.

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i am really disturbed by some of these comments. No 11 yo girl chooses to be kidnapped, raped and held captive. Once she had her daughters she had to stay to protect them. If she had escaped who knows what he would have done to those little girls, he may have fled and taken them with him and she wiuld never have saw them again. Besides this is a silly question to begin because unless you have been in her situation which from the comments no one here has been, we don’t have the right to say anything about the decisions she made.

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Omg…..my heart goes to the family, I think through all those years of being kidnapped, they all would need a lot of counseling to know the difference cause between him being their dad and him being a pedophile…. I personally don’t think he should be labeled as DAD he’s a monster……I just pray that Ms. Jaycee can learn the difference….

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When Jaycee and her kids were held hostage they were psychologically tormented too. This is why she (and her daughters) believe(s) that the rapist is their “Dad” rather than just the man who raped their mother and fathered them. This family needs some serious counseling and therapy for a long time (perhaps for forever). This guy (and his wife) messed with their minds.

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As messed up as Phillip is, he is their father. Nothing anybody can do can change it. He never even hurt the girls. They were totally and completely safe with him. I’ve read the book Jaycee wrote, and if he ever did hurt the girls, Jaycee would know. Phillip Garrido did not hurt his daughters, how they came about is irrelevant in their case. He is their father, simple as that.

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Philip Garrido is a *sick* man- a kidnapper, rapist, pedophile, psychopath, etc- and he is *also* the biological father of Starlite and Angel. Nothing that he has done or will ever do can change that fact. No matter how sick and twisted Garrido may be, he *did* live with these girls, since the day that they were born. If these girls are aware of who he is, what he did to their mother (as well as to themselves), then it should be *their* decision to call him whatever they feel they should call him. This ordeal was obviously hell for Jaycee, but can you imagine finding out that your father kidnapped, imprisoned and brutally raped your mother, and that you were born of that rape, having your father hauled off to spend the rest of his life in jail, then finding out that you have this entire family that you’ve never known about? (I certainly can’t, nor would I ever wish to!!!!) If calling their father “Dad” is something that they still wish to do, that is very much their right and I see nothing wrong with it!!

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“If you were in Jaycee’s shoes, would you allow the man that kidnapped, raped and held you hostage for 18 years to be considered your childrens’ father?”… What a ridiculous question. Nobody could possibly put themselves in Jaycee’s shoes without having gone through the exact same hell that she was forced to endure.

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He may be sick and twisted but he IS their dad. He raised them, he didn’t harm them (not in an overt or direct way, at least), and he’s the only dad they’ve ever known. If Jaycee wants to let them keep calling him “dad” then she has every right to do that. More importantly, Jaycee herself suffered almost 2 full decades of physical and psychological abuse/manipulation, so she deserves as much slack as her girls. It’s not even 3 years since Jaycee and her kids were rescued from that hell, and in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty short time. They have the rest of their lives to sort all this out.

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He is her father. So yes by default it seems to make sense that they call him dad. He never harmed them. So it’s hard to wrap their mind around it all. Before reading her book I would have said absolutely not, however now, it makes sense to me why she would allow that. It’s their choice. And I respect her for that. Along with everything she’s endured.

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Ignorance is bliss let me tell you. He is their dad therefore it makes sense. But to try to understand an 11yr old’s mind in that situation is insensitive. The mind is a powerful tool; this is a man who confused this child with agression and care. She was unaware of what was true and right. Even now at 33, I’m reluctant to do things when I’m not sure of the outcome. God bless her for her strength-not only to endure the abuse that most of us are lucky to never know and for moving forward as a strong woman, exceptional mother and example. Read the book-its worth it!

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Those of you who are saying such ignorant things cough cough JONE!! You should probably get your head out of your a** and realize that this girl went through hell and not willingly you freaking idiot. Read her book then open your mouth.

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i think that they should think of him as there dad becuase he is like it or not of who the person is its still there father they would not be here if didnt do what he did cant change who your parents are if you dont like them you just have to deal with it and accept it and move on and try to change your life in a way you like it better

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Jaycee.. I loved your book. I wish years of happiness to you and your girls. NOBODY had the right to take to from your Mama, you were a child. Children TRUST who they are with.Your girls are going to need you for years to come. They are lucky to have a GREAT family now. May GOD bless you !!!

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This question is so ignorant that it isn’t even worthy of an answer.

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You know what , your absolutely right. I’ve read Jaycees book and all I have to say is what an amazing woman and mother. I wish her and her family the best!

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Jaycee stated in her grand jury testimony that she felt her stepfather, Carl Probyn, did not like her, and she said he was always trying to send her away. She lived for a year with an aunt and uncle prior to the family moving to South Lake Tahoe. Was that really the case, or was it a child’s misperceptions about being in a stepfamily? I don’t know, but it was what Jaycee believed. She probably didn’t know if her family would even accept two daughters fathered by a rapist. After all, the girl was only 11 years old. Give her a break! Garrido was able to manipulate the legal system and the dept of corrections for years. Do you think an 11 year old girl really had a chance against this guy? Also, the daughters were raised their whole lives calling this guy “dad”. Like it or not, that is who he was to them. Most children conceived by rape probably never even meet their so-called fathers let alone have a relationship with them so I think Jaycee’s children are in a unique position to say the least. They should decide how they want to refer to him. After all, Garrido controlled everyone and everything in their lives including who they called “mom”. OTOH, they might have called Nancy “mom”, but it’s clear that Jaycee actually did the day-to-day parenting. They probably felt like she was more their mom anyway. Jaycee did mention in the interview that one of her daughters called her “mom” before leaving for school. That says it all right there in how they feel about her!

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This is such a stupid question. Those girls were also told to refer to his crazy wife, Nancy as their mother…if you’re going to ask stupid questions that should be it. Do we think Jaycee should have allowed her chilfren to call Nancy their mother????? After all the rights they took away from Jaycee…That had to be the final blow. C’mon! Jaycee is such an amazing person to have come out the otherside of this with any sort of grace. I think this question is in poor choice as we are asked to judge Jaycee after all this.

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Agreed. I’m glad most of us are supporting her.

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It’s not the children’s fault. They were NOT born out of love, but they were born. They have to accept it and continue to adjust to a normal world.

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Ever heard of “Stockholm Syndrome”, Jone…look it up – idiot!!

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I don’t want to seem a smartarse, but I don’t really think she had Stockholm Syndrome. She stayed there first from fear for herself then fear for her daughters. In case of Stockholm Syndrome the victim feals empathy and have positive feelings toward their captors because they mistake the lack of abuse from their kidnappers as an act of kindness. That’s not what happened with Jaycee, she was abused pretty hard for a long time.

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Nicky, she definitely experienced Stockholm Syndrome! It’s true that she was frightened and abused, but the physical abuse stopped after she became pregnant, which is only 3 years out of the 18. After that she was granted increasing liberties, told that they were a “family”, and totally had, to some degree, sympathetic feelings towards her captors. Later, with the help of counseling, she began to understand that Phillip and Nancy did not deserve her compassion or familial feelings or loyalty – but when you grow up with someone for 18 years, you can’t help but develop an attachment to them, no matter how psychotic they are – as long as there is some kind of humanity within them. She gave numerous examples in her book of instances where the Garritos showed remorse and did things to make her happy, and avoided doing certain things that would hurt her. I’m not defending them, I’m just saying this isn’t black or white; there are many shades of gray when it comes to human emotions. And as for her kids, he is their father (sad, but true) and he did not abuse them (other than to keep them in captivity of course – but he didn’t rape or beat them or anything) so they would have to have some manner of feelings for him. Anyway, suffice to say, if you read her book you will see that she did have classic Stockholm Syndrome.

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From Jaycee’s book it doesn’t sound like her stepfather was any prize. Her birth father abandoned her, too. The behavior of these men since she was rescued is despicable — doing interviews and trying to get some of the money! They should just crawl back under the rocks they came out from. It’s no wonder Jaycee didn’t escape — all she knew about men was that they would mistreat her and do nothing to help her. The parole officers and police who came to the house when neighbors alerted them to the fact that children were living in the back yard further proved that fact to her. Thank God there was finally someone who saw that something was terribly wrong and took the time to find out what was going on!

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I think this girl should of escaped. There is something no t right with her. MAybe she wanted to be there and ran away? Was her home life before the kidnapping looked into?

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You have to realize that she was only 11 years old when they kidnapped her and she was constantly intimidated, raped and fed lies. On the one hand, they told her the outside world is very dangerous and on the other hand, they threatened to use taser gun on her in case she tried to escape. Oh, and did I mention that she was chanined to the wall? Aside from the physical restrains, she had mental ones too. The human psyche, especially a young child’s is quite fragile and can be broken very easily. And when you’re broken, you give up and don’t even attempt to fight.
As for her home life, I got the impresson that Jaycee had a very happy childhood with loving parents before her kidnapping. I don’t know your gender, but I’m quessing you’re male, because no woman in her right mind would think like this. Do you really believe that any woman, let alone a 11 year old innoncent girl WANTED to be with someone who raped her constantly?

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I totally agree with JONE something is very wrong with her.YOU HAVE TO BE BLIND NOT TO SEE THAT !

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She was kidnapped at 11, held hostage and repeatedly raped by a gross creep. Of course she has problems. Who in that situation would not. I think it is really easy for someone who did not have to face that situation to to talk about what how they would have escaped Let’s hope that you don’t have to find out what you would do.

I think she seems to be doing well given what she went through. I wish her the best.

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You are an idiot to think something is wrong with her. My god she was 11 and kidnapped and raped!!! Something is wrong with you obviously!!!!!

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No, Chantel, something is very wrong with YOU!!! Criticizing someone who was kidnapped as a child and isolated by her captor for 18 years… be very careful of judging others – you’re asking for the “opportunity” to experience first hand what she went through – that’s how the Universe works to keep balance!

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I felt ashamed when I read your comment — to think that a human being could be so insensitive! Considering all she has been through, this precious young woman is remarkable. Did you know that in spite of Jaycee not having more than a 5th grade education, and not all of that, her daughters, whom she taught are at grade level in high school? In that hovel of tents she planted flowers to make their lives better! Jaycee deserves respect and admiration, not slurs!

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I’d like to see you go through what she did, and see how you turn out.

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You couldnt of said that better.

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She was too scared to. She was kidnapped at 11 and was basically manipulated and brainwashed. She didn’t know what she would do if she left because she didn’t know where she was.

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Maybe you should read her book before making stupid assumptions. She was deathly afraid of getting in trouble with Phillip. She was so young and terrified as it is. And after her daughters were born she became more concerned with their safety. Of course she wanted to go home, it was just impossible to escape due to her fear of her captor.

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The physical and psychological damage done to this child was beyond your capacity to understand. Instead of being judging the victim, try having a little empathy. Soldiers are trained to resist brainwashing, yet most of them in POW situations are overtaken quite quickly — within weeks, usually. What chance does an 11 year old child have? I’m glad you weren’t on the jury that convicted the two scum who committed this horrible crime.

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You’ve got some serious issues, leave her alone. She was ELEVEN. And headed to SCHOOL. She was a child and he had no right to have her there. That isn’t the case but even if it was he should of took her home!

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Are you serious????? Are you a freakun kidnapper, pedophile too, jone??? No wa y jaycee wanted to stay there……what, and be raped and beaten????

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Do You Think It's Wrong That Jaycee Dugard's Daughters Refer To Her Kidnapper Phillip Garrido As 'Dad?'

Even though Phillip Garrido fathered Jaycee’s two (now teenaged) daughters by sexually abusing her, she still lets him keep his status as their ‘dad.’ Is she completely wrong in doing so or is she doing the right thing?

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