Did no one notice Karen talking with her kids about going on the Dr. Phil show? If this mother truly didn't have a clue she would NEVER have been able to have that kind of conversation with either of them NOR would the kids have even been allowed to appear on the show.
And, would everybody please take a step back for a second and think about the kids from a different perspective? True, these kids should NEVER be abused again - in any way; however, rest assured that children in these situations are constantly asking themselves "why"... not only "why me" but "why does mommy do these things?" They want answers, they want to understand... and THAT is why these kids were able to say they knew it wasn't her fault. It's not that they thought that their being beaten wasn't her fault... it's that they realized something else is going on here... and they were so relieved that their mom sought help and that people would now be paying attention and that maybe they could soon have the mom they so need.... they want their mom to learn different ways of handling her problems.
If anyone was listening... the father on this show is NOT the oldest's! Go back to the transcript... he said she had several kids when he met her. That does not excuse his behavior, but it does explain his detachment. If you noticed, too, the kids did not refer to him as "dad".
It was obvious that this whole show was very scripted for many reasons and to show as many varying facets of this type family as possible in a short period of time... it was designed to open people's eyes on many levels... and it did!
At the same time, we can be sure that as long as Karen and Jim are willing to receive help and respond positively and with progressive improvement... Dr. Phil will continue to provide them with the help they so need... the help they sought... there are families out there with conditions worse than what we saw here that NEVER get the attention or help they so need.
