Little Suri Holmes often looks upset and can be seen cowering in paparazzi photos. It’s little wonder when you watch video of Suri out with her parents. There are tons of flashes going off and strangers calling the little girl’s name. Some other kids seem to take the paparazzi in stride, but it really bothers three-year-old Suri and we’ve had some discussion here over whether her parents should work harder to protect her from the unwanted attention and stress. Some attention is unavoidable and of course the paparazzi, not the parents, are responsible. On the other hand Katie and Tom have taken Suri out to dinner with them late at night when she might be happier at home.
A story from Cindy Adams’ column in the NY Post shows that observant fans aren’t the only ones worried about Suri’s well being. The wife of Goran Visjnic, the hot Croatian doctor on ER, supposedly scolded Katie at an American Idol taping for bringing Suri to an environment not suited for children:
KATIE Holmes, obviously loving cameras and spotlights, shlepped her 3-year-old to last week’s “American Idol” finale. The fans were shrieking. The paparazzi were hyper. The kid was shaking. Watching this, Ivana Visnjic, artist wife of actor Goran Visnjic, volunteered a lesson in motherhood with: “What are you doing? This is no environment to bring a baby! You’re traumatizing this baby.” Holmes promptly left.
[From The NY Post]
I’m kind of conflicted about this story. My son has food allergies that can make him flip out. I’ve had people yell at me for a temper tantrum my son is throwing at a time when he ate something he wasn’t supposed to and was having a reaction to it. It’s the most stressful time when your child is upset and it makes it worse when judgmental people chime in. At the same time, I’ve seen Suri out in the fall without a coat or tights on and just wanted to bundle her up. It’s sometimes hard to resist the urge to give advice even though it can be annoying when people do the same thing to you.
So Suri was supposedly upset at the premiere of American Idol. It’s very likely that Katie had no idea it would be that chaotic and hard for her to handle and she was probably very concerned about it. Katie has said in the past that Suri loves Idol. You can’t always judge ahead of time if a situation is going to be the best for your child and I can’t blame Katie for wanting to bring Suri to see Idol. She was probably very worried about Suri and stressed out about it at the time. To top it off she got a talking-to by a condescending woman who acted like she was a bad mom for bringing a little girl to a big show.
Tom, Katie and Suri will head to Melbourne, Australia later this year so that Katie can work on the film Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark. The Australian tourism board is ready to welcome them with open arms.
Katie and Suri are shown out on 5/18/09. Katie is also shown yesterday, 5/27/09, in LA. Credit: INFphoto.com
Katie didn’t know the American Idol finale would be chaotic? PUH-LEASE! I dont like people telling me how to raise my kids either but TomKat needs some common sense knocked into them and I am glad this woman had the nerve to say something, I am sure most people, even people close to them dont have the nerve. And by the way the kid is THREE, not thirteen, she would be just as happy to get to stay up a little late and see her favorite show with her Mom then GO to it. Save something for later Katie!
Katie has always done things that are inappropriate as a Mother. A few times I have see Katie smiling and laughing when Suri is just a wreck from all the photogs around her. Never mind the lack of concern when it comes to dressing the child in cold weather. Its about time she gets some LOUD flack for her poor judgment.
“It’s very likely that Katie had no idea it would be that chaotic and hard for her to handle”
oh, give me just a small break, please. she didn’t know that the finale of one of the most (if not THE most) popular shows on TV today would be chaotic? And that there would be crowds and cameras and paparazzi there?
no, you can’t always judge ahead of time if a situation is going to be the best for your child, but in THIS situation, Katie surely could have.
I love Goran Visjnic
Maybe she really had no clue that it would be too loud and scary for Suri and was focusing on the fact that Suri loved the show. Think about it – your kid loves a show and you get tickets that are very hard to come by, so you take your kid to the show thinking it will be awesome because you’re so focused on the fact that they love it, that you are lucky to get tickets, etc, that you don’t realize it’s not a good idea. We went to a circus once that seemed like it would be great for kids but ended up being scary and too loud. This is a family-friendly show and she may have naively thought it would be like seeing a musical performance.
Celeb I can see your point. But Suri is only 3. Much too young to be there with the wildness of the regular folk. This is much different than taking her to a concert in a private suite at a stadium.
I agree, 3 is much too young for this type of venue.
Poor little Suri, she was totally on “system overload”.
I know many people like to say that Pitt & Jolie pimp their kids out for good PR, but if there ever were celebrity parents responsible for this it’s these two. Every single day when Holmes was in NY there were pap shots of the kid (always dressed in the prettiest dresses), looking scared. Think the bad PR Cruise has gotten re: Scientology (mostly) is what is guiding this strategy. It makes them look almost human. Holmes IMO looks like she’s either drugged or hypnotized most of the time since the marriage, so I blame it on Cruise. Wish there were laws in this country to protect these kids. Go after the parents all you want, but leave the kids alone.
If Kate hasn’t clued into the fact that her kid doesn’t like crowds at this point, well, we’ve lost her. I know it’s almost impossible to keep Suri out of the limelight sometimes, but she’s been photographed far too many times for me to believe that Katie is at all tuned in with her kids needs. /slap. Wake up, girl!
I could buy Celeb’s argument if Suri ordinarily had no problem with crowds, but this kid hides her face, covers her ears and shows extreme discomfort when out in public with her parents. To suggest that Katie may not have had a clue that this huge media event would upset Suri is really going out on a limb. IMO Katie should have known better.
I am sure Katie, not to mention many families, had no thought there would be stripping down to bikinis on stage during what appears to be deemed a family show. Unless, of course, Scientology lays down no restrictions on modest and appropriate behavior/dress. Really, I thought the show was a family oriented one. Oh……we were born naked and everyone does it at the beach so it is okay. Maybe to most, not to me.
Good for the other mother! Sorry, but from experience I can tell you that 3 is just too young for that kind of thing! You may call it judgmental but I call it common-sensical.
If Suri likes the show, stay the he!! home and watch it. That’s just too much to expect from a small child.
LOL “Suri used to love Idol in the past” WTF she’s like negative 2 years old.
Please educate me, but I didn’t think that being carried around all the time automatically qualifies as “baby”, does it?
Poor Katie — whatever she does she can’t do it right! Everybody commenting about Suri’s outfits, whereabouts, playdates etc. You all must be perfect mothers and also must love when somebody butts in with unsolicited advice on how you should raise your kids *grin*
Geez people, it’s not like she took the kid to see a cage fighting match. It’s American Idol and they were clearly escorted to their seats and there was security around. Nothing happened. As for the lady who butted in, maybe she should spend more time making sure her husband doesn’t have any more illegitimate children with his girlfriends and less time worrying about somebody else’s kid.
“To top it off she got a talking-to by a condescending woman who acted like she was a bad mom for bringing a little girl to a big show.”
Uh, that WAS a poor parenting decision. She made her choice and deserves any criticism given.
Poor Suri…back to the emeter. Remember the paparazzi and all cameras are your friend! Your parents need you to love the spotlight as they do since you garner so much publicity for them!
Question: do parents really let their 2 -3 year-olds watch American Idol?
“Maybe she really had no clue that it would be too loud and scary for Suri”
sorry, I just don’t buy that. anyone who’s ever been to any type of concert knows how loud it is, and this one in particular would be even more crazy as it was the finale of a hugely popular show.
“your kid loves a show and you get tickets that are very hard to come by, so you take your kid to the show thinking it will be awesome because you’re so focused on the fact that they love it, that you are lucky to get tickets, etc, that you don’t realize it’s not a good idea.”
sorry, don’t buy that one, either. Katie Holmes-Cruise can tickets to ANY SHOW SHE WANTS, at any time. it’s not like they’re hard to come by for her. and if she really didn’t think that this wasn’t a good venue for Suri, she DOES need to be told by a “judgmental” person that it wasn’t.
Please suri is three, I repeat three yrs old. Her parents keep pretending she’s an adult.
Sad, Suri is likely to grow up with emotional issues because of the way she is paraded around.
Some people may argue that Tom and Katie have the right to take her anywhere and anytime they like, but they should remember that their life is different. They are followed by paps and it is obv disturbing Suri.
They chose the celebrity lifestyle, Suri didn’t.
It may not have been the wisest choice to bring Suri onto American Idol, but I think it’s unbelievably rude when people tell you how to deal with your own children, unless of course you’re beating them senseless, then of course, there probably should be some kind of intervention. 😛 But honestly, there could have been a far more tactful way to do that instead of yelling at her.
I don’t have children, but I have a dog, who is my baby and I can tell you that I almost punched out a woman for telling me that my dog needs to stop barking…at a DOG PARK. That’s right, I was at a DOG PARK and my dog was romping around herding things and barking happily (If you know anything about Corgis, you know that this is unfortunately, just part of the breed.) And this woman came up to me and told me I needed to shut my dog up, that perhaps I should watch Cesar Milan. I honestly wanted to clock her right then and there for having the audacity to come at me like that.
I could understand if I were walking around a neighborhood with him and he was just woofing around, but it’s a dog park and hey, like some people don’t know how to stop talking? Same with dogs, barking is their talking.
American Idol specifically asks fans not to bring children under 6. This information is given to all ticket holders. So, either Katie doesn’t know how to read anymore or her handlers ignored the warning. Either way, Suri was traumatized yet again because she has to be seen by the public. Girl’s got to earn her keep in the Cruise family.
Katie’s very poor judgement seems secondary to her need to cling to her child. She wears that poor girl like a security blanket. Katie is a sick person who is validating her existence through the use of another human being. I watch with fascination as I had a mother just like her.
“At the same time, I’ve seen Suri out in the fall without a coat or tights on and just wanted to bundle her up.”
I know what you mean. Once I saw pictures of Katie wearing a jersey and jeans and Suri nothing but a sleeveless dress, and wanted to yell out “cover her already, clearly its cold”.
That said, I sincerely think Katies does the best she can with Suri, and as a mother (especially a first time mother like Katies) that’s really all you can do. We don’t always get it right, but it doesn’t help either when people are condescending. Goran Visnjics really could have paraphrased it better
I don’t buy the argument that Katie didn’t know how chaotic the American Idol live show would be. There is an overwhelming amount of excitement shown just watching it on TV.
I could buy the argument that because Katie is a young mother, maybe she doesn’t fully understand the concept of overstimulation for a young child and/or how children can develop (sometimes irrational) phobias about loud, unfamiliar, overstimulating environments. Right now (in the middle of completing potty-training), my three-year-old has developed a fear of public toilets (too loud, too yucky). It’s up to me as his parent to help him work through his fear, but not by throwing him into a public restroom to get over his fear. But, he is my second child, so I’ve had more time/experience understanding kids’ fears.
this story is sad… i see mothers bringing their kids to all kinds of things kids don’t belong to… for instance, a bar where the kid is playing “smack the boobs around” on the video game… but i don’t go up to them and scold them… MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS… damn
Wait. Katie probably didn’t “know” how chaotic it was going to be on a television show?
Seriously?
What was she famous for again (besides becoming Kate-bot)? That’s right, starring in a television show for teens.
Stop making excuses for her; it only enables her reckless and careless behavior regarding her daughter.
And you’re damn right I’d have said something, too.
Off topic, but I was watching the finale and saw a woman holding a tiny (probably about 4-5 month old) baby in one of the huge viewing crowds. I believe it was Conway.
I don’t understand it. There are perfectly acceptable times to leaving your child at home.
Remember when Matthew (I would slaughter his last name) and Camilla took their little baby to a concert? I cringed then as well.
My friends watch AI with their 2yr old. The 2yr old doesn’t actually watch. She toddles around and dances to the music, but there is no way in he!! that they would take her someplace like that.
I’m glad someone said something. Katie looks so unbelievably stupid in this situation.
According to Scientology, children are to be treated like little adults. Thus, she was brought to the show as if she were an adult. This is just the tip of the iceberg in the bizarre parenting of Suri. Poor, little girl.
Looking at Katie in those pictures (the black dress)… all I can think is: Oh F*CK, she’s pregnant with a test tube baby again.
They drag little Suri all over the place too much. Let her be a kid and play with other kids, instead of Kate using her as a security blanket.
Hmm. At least Katie listened to the advice. She could have told her to F off and mind her own… but she left.
I like Katie, she seems very sensitive and I don’t think that she would intentionally try to endanger Suri.
The fact is, Suri was born to two very famous people. The concert thing was a tad extreme, but if Katie actually wants to spend time with Suri, she has no other choice but to take her out with her, thereby coming into contact with the scary paps…. Lets face it, even if Tom Cruise tried to quit this business, he would still be recognized everywhere he goes. So, it’s kind of better that Suri get used to this kind of attention from a younger age.
But yes, I think she will grow up with emotional problems. Most people who NEED fame to the level of Tom Cruise have mental problems to begin with.
I think Katie is just barely smart enough to be able to act, and complete simple sentences on her own.
She made the unfortunate decision to marry TCruise, which I’m not going to bash her too much about, because she probably had a crush on him for a long time, and he was quite the superstar for many years.
Mentally she seemed fine in the beginning of their marriage, but after he continued making a butt of himself and his credibility tanked, he started the desperate photo ops, which his wife and baby seemed to be who the public wanted.
I give her a bit of credit for trying to keep herself going, but then she goes out looking incredibly depressed, dragging her young daughter along, not dressed appropriately and her hair covering her eyes.
Although it must be rough during all this, she doesn’t seem to be as strong mentally as the average person, combined with not seeming that bright.
I’m betting it was her that was so excited about getting to watch the final in person, and her daughter seemed interested, plus she’d get bonus points from her insane hubby for the photo ops, that she probably didn’t even give it a second thought about how an overly-excited crowd would overwhelm a young child.
The woman that chastised her probably didn’t do it right away, but most likely waited a few minutes to see if Katie might do the right thing to protect her daughter from being so scared. She probably stayed despite her daughter trembling in fear, which irked the lady to tell her off.
I’ve told off a stupid, non-caring mother once for leaving her baby unattended in the car while she was inside a store — this is on the Gulf Coast, so in addition to the risk of kidnappers (lots of pervs here), there’s also the risk of heat stroke.
Katie needs to stop feeling so sorry for the mess she got herself into, and start making decisions based on what’s good for her daughter, rather than what she wants, and will make good photo ops.
“if Katie actually wants to spend time with Suri, she has no other choice but to take her out with her”
um…….no. she doesn’t have to take her out.
she can spend time with her at one of their many homes around the country. plenty of space to play outside or inside, and NO CROWDS, CAMERAS OR PAPARAZZI.
When my son was 3 years old, he wanted to light the fuses of all the fireworks at a fireworks stand at the same time. I, however, being older and wiser, knew that wasn’t a really good idea (but it would have been really cool to see) so I nixed it. He also wanted to sleep in the doghouse with the dog and go butt naked day in and day out. Sometimes you just have to, you know, be a PARENT.
I agree with “dew” in that Katie is not too bright a bulb. I believe she’s the on featured in a Blind Item that didn’t realize a drag show she saw was actually men dressed as women. She didn’t know what a drag show is. Explains a lot, actually.
if you bloggers really care about the safety of children, stop making stories about them and posting pictures of them. the only reason the paps go after them is because there is demand for it. try taking a stand for these children and helping them, rather than sitting around the office having “concerned” discussions about them while posting their faces on the web.
My son loves music, so I play him music videos at home. Because he is likely to have seizures if exposed to the bright blinking lights of a concert, even though I know he’d love the show, I don’t take him there. Quite possibly, because he is legally blind, he may not compute those lights and avoid a seizure. However, due to the chance of a dangerous or unpleasant reaction, I find other, more appropriate, ways to allow him to enjoy music. I would love to hang out with my son at the weekly concert series on the boardwalk, but knowing I’m risking my child’s health and happiness would zap the enjoyment out of it. I think that is what most parents do. You weigh the pros and cons and make the best choice for your child.
I don’t think people need to attack other people’s parenting choices, but maybe this encounter will make Katie realize that her less informed parenting choices are not celebrated by all. My guess is the constant ego stroke by the paps combined with the flashing lights may have confused Katie into thinking her parenting is celebrated instead of just exploited.
Gutes Thema. Ich bin aber nicht ganz eurer Meinung, aber das ist ja auch kein Forum hier. Bleib am Ball.