Interpreting the “news” for children

I have a simple question to ask. Why is Lindsay Lohan all over the news? Because she went to jail for 15 minutes? This girl is a spoiled, rude addict who has no regard for herself or the law. Period. The world is crawling with people just like her. I know; we own a plumbing company. We've hired most of them off and on over the years.

I felt the need to sit my 18-year-old daughter down and try to gauge her perception of this ridiculous fiasco. After all, we are packing her off for college in a few short weeks, and all of these issues will play out around her (hopefully, not in her life). I do not want her leaving with the idea that addiction and a disregard for the legal system are cool or, ahem, newsworthy.

She seems fine; she remembers Ms. Lohan as the cute, freckle-faced girl who was in "The Parent Trap." If anything, she's disillusioned. I guess I hope that's what she remembers. All that glitters is not, in fact, gold.