Decker Family/Transcript

Before the revolving line of credit
Annoncer: "Tonight on Supernany...."

[James throws a tantrum while Jang-mi covers her ears]

Annoncer: "Gloria goes head-to-head with a father who refuses to discipline his son and verbally abuses his adoptive daughter."

Jang-mi: "아빠, 제임스가 날 때렸다!" (Translation: Dad, James bit me!)

Anthony: "Don't be a tattle tale! James did nothing wrong, you started it!"

Annoncer: "While mom uses spanking to discipline James' bad behavior!"

[Mia is seen spanking James with her hand]

Mia: "Why am I giving you a spanking?"

James: "Because I hit Jang-mi!"

Mia: "Sizziling your butt will fix you good!"

Annoncer: "Outside is not better either."

[Jang-mi comes up to Anthony with a Barbie doll]

Jang-mi: "이걸 가질 수 있을까요?" (Translation: Can I have this?)

Anthony: "No, James is my real son, he gets things you don't get, put it back, he gets the toy, you don't, you're not my real daughter."

Mia: "Anthony, James was throwing a tantrum and destroyed a stand, he doesn't get toys for naughtiness, Jang-mi was being well-behaved throughout the shopping trip, she should get a reward for good behavior!"

Anthony: "He's my real son!"

Mia: "Your real son should have a good slap on his little butt until he is good!"

Submission Reel
Anthony: “Jang-mi is a little tattletale, she tells lies and uses James as ascapegoat.”

Observation Begins
[Gloria arrives at the household]

Mia: "Hi, my husband's at work today, this is Jang-mi."

[We see Jang-mi, she is in a pink hanbok and has a paperclip flower in her hair]

Jang-mi: "" (Translation: Hi)

Mia: "She's 7, she doesn't speak good English."

[Jang-mi gathers her things and heads off to school]

Jang-mi at school
[Jang-mi refuses to go home after school]

Teacher: You don't want to go home?

[Jang-mi shakes her head no]

Teacher: Is everything okay at home?

Jang-mi: (translation: No. My stepdad hates me and my stepbrother James bites me and bullies me. My stepdad Anthony lets him do that)

Observation continues
Gloria: (interview) Later that afternoon, we learned that Jang-mi refused to come home after school as The Decker family was paid a visit by Child Protection Services.

[a woman from the Denver Child Protection Services arrives at the Decker family home for an interview]

Woman: Hello there, my name is Stacie Quinn, from the Denver Child Protection Services. I received a phone call from Mrs. Megan Ashbury, Jang-mi's teacher today, regarding your daughter's welfare. She says that her stepbrother James bullies her and bites her, and that her stepfather Anthony allows him to do so.

Mia: Yes. Anthony refuses to accept her as his stepdaughter and he verbally abuses her a lot – he also refuses to discipline his own son. He always says that she is not his real daughter.

[Anthony arrives home]

[James arrives home from school]

Family Meeting
Gloria: “So, I sat down with mom to know why she uses spanking as a discipline measure.”

Gloria: “Why do you use spanking as a discipline measure, Mia?”

Mia: “Parents only care about mollycoddling and spoiling their children and don’t discipline them enough, children need discipline to be taught to be good, not mollycoddling, Why would James be rewarded for being a naughty child?, Look at Jang-mi, she’s well-behaved, learning to speak Korean and helps others.”