Adriana claims her mom and her stepdad are making her choose between raising her child and being with her boyfriend of two years, Matt.
“I have chosen Matt over my daughter because my mom is always in the way,” says Adriana in the clip above, who is currently living with Matt at his parents’ house, while her 4-year-old daughter is being raised by her mom and stepdad. Adriana claims that her parents “threw her out” and that she has no options.
Adriana says that she and her mother don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to parenting her daughter, and their disagreements have turned physical.
“She calls me a horrible mother and I’ve called her a [expletive] idiot,” Adriana shares. "It’s gotten to the point where I actually have punched my mother.”
Adriana’s mother, Susie, says her daughter was a good mother for the first two years of her child’s life, but then she met Matt, whom she calls “riffraff.” “I believe Matt is a bad influence and a non-motivator,” she says, claiming, in part, that Matt was around the first few times Adriana tried heroin. “I don’t care for Matt one bit.” She says she’s ready for daughter to step up and be a mother to her child.
Adriana says that she spends all day with her daughter and insists she is trying to be a good mother. “I’m picking her up from school, I’m trying to have her all day long,” she says. “I feel like I’m trying and my mom doesn’t see it.”
When they turn to Dr. Phil for help, he asks Adriana, “You just don’t think that you should be pressured into choosing your daughter over your boyfriend?”
“I feel that it’s not fair that I have to make that decision to choose my family over the one I want to spend the rest of my life with,” she says.
“She says you are vulgar, and rude, and actually become violent and attack her,” Dr. Phil says.
“No, when she’s attacking me with her harsh words,” Adriana says, “I’m not going to sit there, and I’m not going to take that. Of course I’m going to say something back to her.”
“But she is raising your daughter,” Dr. Phil points out. “Are you grateful for that?”
“I am very grateful for that,” Adriana says.
Dr. Phil impresses upon Adriana that it’s not her mom and stepdad’s responsibility to raise her daughter, and she should not expect them to do it. “You expect them to do it, and then give them absolutely unshirted hell for the way they’re doing it,” Dr. Phil says.
“I don’t expect anything,” Adriana replies.
“You have an entitled attitude that says, ‘You’re going to do what I want you to do, and if you don’t, I’m going to make your life so hell, you are going to cave in and do it. And I’m holding my daughter hostage, because you know as well as I do that if you don’t, she winds up on the street or in foster care, and that’s on you, bitch.’ That’s exactly what your attitude is,’” Dr. Phil tells her.
This episode of Dr. Phil airs Tuesday. Watch more here.
Before You Go
