Bristol Palin Goes Off on Tirade About Role of Dads

Bristol Palin

In reaction to his support for same-sex marriage, Bristol Palin attacked President Obama's daughters as having watched "one too many episodes of Glee" while preaching about the proper role of a father to his family.

Palin, who is a single mom, has endured a public struggle with the father of her own child, Levi Johnston. The pair split after being touted during the 2008 campaign as soon to be married when it was discovered Palin was pregnant with their son, Tripp. 

She went after the Obama girls because the president mentioned their open-mindedness as part of what led to his evolution on same-sex marriage.

"You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples," he told ABC's Robin Roberts. "There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

Palin claims it looks like the kids are running the country.

"While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads," she opined in a blog post for a religious website. "In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends’ parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage.  Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home.  Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview."

While research shows that children from single-parent households face additional hardships, it says nothing about kids from homes with two parents of the same gender (as Sen. Al Franken once pointed out in hilarious fashion). And Palin doesn't say what her belief means for her own child.  Instead, she has some strong opinions about the role of dads.

"Sometimes dads should lead their family in the right ways of thinking," she writes. "In this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve been an actual leader and helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee."