Community Corner
Moms Talk: Tanning Bed Mom
In this week's Moms Talk we discuss Patricia Krentcil, a New Jersy mother charged with child endangerment after being accused of putting her five-year-old daughter in a tanning bed.
Known as “Tanning Bed Mom,” Patricia Krentcil’s alleged actions are cringe-worthy—as is her charred, leathery appearance.
The 44-year-old mother is accused of taking her Kindergarten daughter into a stand-up tanning booth, without the salon’s knowledge or consent. Krentcil was arrested after a teacher at her daughter’s school noticed burns and rashes on the child’s skin, and the little girl said she got them from going tanning with her mommy.
Krentcil insists that she never put her child in a tanning booth, and that the child received “minor burns” from gardening outside. Krentcil has been released from jail on $25,000 bail, and her daughter is now in her father’s custody.
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Oh, dummy! This isn’t the 1950s. We know the dangers of UV rays, particularly on young skin. UV light can damage DNA, causing mutations as well as formations of dangerous skin cancer cells.
If Krentcil did in fact put her child in a tanning booth, she should suffer consequences for her irresponsible actions.
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Even if she didn’t commit the act she’s being charged with, Krentcil is guilty of modeling poor behavior for her daughter. I mean, have you seen this woman?
As mothers, part of our job in raising confident, competent, strong young women is being a good example for them. Any unhealthy obsession with our appearance is bound to be damaging to our daughters.
Patricia Krentcil’s picture could be the reference photo on a Google search for “tanorexic.” Tanorexics are afraid of having pale skin. Like the anorexic who starves herself to the point of illness, the tanorexic tans to the point of ruining her skin. Neither sees themselves clearly nor the damage they are doing. Neither is healthy behavior for a young girl to witness.
Krentcil’s appearance is so bizarre (wearing fuschia clothing and white lipstick to accentuate her brown skin) she’s become a national joke. Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wigg portrayed Krentcil in a skit, and there’s even a Tanning Bed Mom action figure.
I feel so sorry for her little girl.
What’s your opinion on The Tanning Bed Mom? Let’s talk it out, fellow mothers!
