Should Rachel Canning Be Suing Her Parents?

Rachel Canning, who is 18 years old, is suing her parents.  According to a CNN article I read today Rachel is asking the court to: “have her parents pay the outstanding tuition for her private high school, pay her living and transportation expenses for the foreseeable future, use money from an existing college fund to pay for at least some of her college education, and pay her legal bills.”

This is, obviously, troubling in a number of ways and I suspect there are two sides to the story.  There always are.  But I’m bothered by the lawsuit factor in this matter.  We are creating a culture in which it seems like people quickly run to lawyers and initiate lawsuits every time they are upset about something.  Apparently people do not understand that often the only ones who really end up winning in all of these litigations are the lawyers.

You say, “Well, what’s she supposed to do, Dan?”

I know this will sound harsh to some—I’m really not a harsh guy—but here’s what she should do: Behave like an adult and figure out a way to deal with the circumstances in which she finds herself without running to a lawyer and bringing a lawsuit.

If it comes out that her parents are irresponsible, mean and immature—and they created a dysfunctional home life—that will not be a surprising aspect of the story.  We can all feel sympathy for Rachel, if that is the case.

(If it comes out that Rachel is a spoiled and entitled young woman who feels like the world owes her a special place in its orbit that will not be very surprising either.)

But, guess what?  Lots and lots and lots and lots of parents are imperfect, irresponsible and have created dysfunctional home lives.  That’s not a reason for lawsuits.  We all know people who grew up in dysfunctional homes and had strained relationships with their parents but it would never occur to them to bring a lawsuit regarding the matter.  Every bad thing that happens in the world cannot be remedied by lawsuits.

I can imagine the late night comedians will find some funny ways to joke about this story.  We’ll get a good laugh because it is pretty funny…except that in many ways it is sad.